Publisher's Synopsis
In the mid-twentieth-century, school gangs were the norm in Detroit, Michigan. Poor eyesight was the impetus for organizing the AFO gang. The episodes in this memoir are a vivid account of one man's youth in the rough-and-tumble neighborhoods of northeast Detroit. They are hilarious yet heart-wrenching, light-hearted yet deadly serious with moments of reflection and wisdom. Enjoy the veil of humor that cloaked the gang's mischievous and dangerous activities. Experience the norm of city life during recovery from the great depression. Gain insight into the adolescent mind as it copes with parental guidance, educational pressures, law enforcement restrictions, and life dreams. Enhance your understanding of the historical time, the opportunities available and barriers faced by the youth. The nineteen episodes in this memoir take you into the woods with hatchets, through a break-in and its consequences, confrontations with the law and another gang, thievery planning and its execution, a midnight excursion among bull dozers, teenage sexual encounters, confrontation with death, and finally the gangs' demise as its member's transition into the world of labor and responsibility. All this and more with a dose of humor befitting a court jester. The episodes are true, but the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Even though this is a memoir of the gang leader, a Puffed Up Definition section is included for your entertainment, and brief family background of the gang leader is appended to provide a reference point for this historical drama.
