Contreras, Randol, The Stickup Kids: Race, Drugs, Violence, and the American Dream

Authors

Robert J. Durán, University of Tennessee

Abstract

"Most academics do not live in segregated black or Latino communities that contain higher rates of violence and incarceration. Historically, ethnographers have attempted to bridge this gap, but only a small number of these researchers match the populations they are studying in terms of age, class, ethnicity, and gender. An even rarer ethnographer comes from these same neighborhoods and shares lifelong friendships with the participants. Randol Contreras’s Stickup Kids provides an in-your-face portrayal of a drug dealing crew turned drug robbers in the South Bronx of New York City during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Due to structural changes in the drug market, several young Dominican entrepreneurs sought other ways to maintain their previous high-spending lifestyle. Contreras presents an insider account of 27 people that is hard-hitting, gravitating, and reflexive. In this book review, I will outline my interest in this book, some of the major themes presented, and some issues deserving increased attention."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Durán, Robert J. (2014) "Contreras, Randol, The Stickup Kids: Race, Drugs, Violence, and the American Dream," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 2: No. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol2/iss2/7