Using the tools of sociological theory, Robert Brenneman seeks to discover why a pot-smoking, gun-wielding "homie" gang member would want to trade in la vida loca for a Bible and the buttoned-down lifestyle of an evangelical hermano(brother in Christ) - and to what extent this strategy works for the many youth who have tried it. Why would a gun-wielding, tattoo-bearing "homie" trade in la vida loca for a Bible and the buttoned-down lifestyle of an evangelical hermano (brother in Christ)? To answer this question, Robert Brenneman interviewed sixty-three former gang members from the "Northern Triangle" of Central America--Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras--most of whom left their gang for evangelicalism. Unlike in the United States, membership in a Central American gang is hasta lamorgue. But the most common exception to the "morgue rule" is that of conversion or regular participation in an evangelical church. Do gang members who weary of their dangerous lifestyle simply make a rational choice to opt for evangelical religion? Brenneman finds this is only partly the case, for many othersreportemotional conversions that came unexpectedly, when they found themselves overwhelmed by a sermon, a conversation, or a prayer service. An extensively researched and gritty account, Homies and Hermanos sheds light on the nature of youth violence, of religious conversion, and of evangelical churches in Central America. Introduction: JJ's Second MarriageChapter One: From Pandilla to MaraChapter Two: Christian, Not CatholicChapter Three: When Shame becomes ViolenceChapter Four: Dodging the Morgue RuleChapter Five: Don't Mess with Curly!Chapter Six: Samaritans and CrusadersConclusionAppendix A: MethodsAppendix B: Selected Characteristics of Interviewed Ex-gang MembersAppendix C: A Primer of Gang VocabularyReferencesNotes
- ISBN: 978-0-19-975390-1
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 288
- Fecha Publicación: 08/12/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés