Guys, Gangs, and Girlfriend Abuse

Mark Totten has done a fine job of listening to socially marginal boys. His study illuminates the dark side of North American masculinity-and how it plays out in the mistreatment of girls. -- James Garbarino, Professor of Human Development and Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University Mark Totten gets inside the heads of 'normal' adolescent boys to reveal how boyhood, male-bonding, and girlfriend abuse can become so deeply entangled. The result is a book whose contents are as terrifying as the author's analysis is thoughtful and sober. Parents, teachers, and public health officials need to read this book. -- Michael Kimmel, Professor of Sociology, SUNY at Stony Brook

This groundbreaking study explores how marginal male youth make sense of their physical, sexual, and emotional violence towards those they claim to love.

Youth violence and youth gangs are serious social problems. This groundbreaking study explores how marginal male youth make sense of their physical, sexual, and emotional violence towards those they claim to love—their girlfriends—and how the abuse of girls, gays, and racial minorities is related to the development of familial and gender ideologies in the home and on the street. The construction of masculinity is revealed as an ongoing process, negotiated and developed with the resources at hand. The degree, level, and objects of individual and gang violence are linked to differences in adherence to the patterns of male behaviour and authority the child witnesses in the family and in the gang. The language these male youth use in the in-depth interviews reflects their actions and feelings: it is disturbing, yet powerful.

As well as addressing the lack of qualitative information on the subject, this book offers a practical plan for addressing youth violence. It is a valuable resource for students, parents, and professionals.