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War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption | 
| Author: Dashaun "jiwe" Morris
Creators: Terrie Williams, T. Rodgers
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $8.95
You Save: $16.05 (64%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 83985
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1416548467
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1066092
EAN: 9781416548461
ASIN: 1416548467
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand New Books! Orders usually ship with 24 hours!
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Product Description
By turns harrowing, moving, and ultimately redemptive, this is a war story -- a war that rages out of control on the streets of the United States, claiming the lives of our loved ones and neighbors. In this memoir, complete with child soldiers, unspeakable violence, and eventual salvation, we witness the journey of an East Coast member of the notorious Bloods gang coming to terms with the lost boy he was and the transformation into the man he wants to become.Unlike the child warriors of Mozambique and Sierra Leone, gang members and the wars they wage are the United States' homegrown nightmare. Lacking protection, support, or any alternatives, Dashaun Morris is forced into battle for the first time at age eleven, in the streets of Phoenix, when a friend's older brothers put him in a car filled with 40s and weed smoke, put a gun in his hands, then make him point it at the men on the corner and squeeze the trigger. The targets are Crips, of course, and, as Morris writes, "In the darkness of the streets, my childhood is murdered.... I am reborn -- a gangster." In this haunting, violent memoir, Morris takes us through an American childhood turned grotesquely inside out. In the fourth grade, he loses his first friend in a drive-by shooting. By high school he is the man, a champion on the football field by day and a reputable banger on his 'hood turf by night. Living the life of a gang banger, Morris does it all -- drug dealing, jacking, and continuing the aimless war with rival gang members -- almost opening fire one night on a close friend, a cheerleader, as she hangs out with young men he mistakes for Crips. He eventually makes it to college on a football scholarship, but on the verge of being drafted by the NFL, Morris can't escape his gang-banging mentality and gets caught up in crimes that snatch away all future hopes. Sitting in a prison cell, he anticipates the birth of his first child while counting the friends he's buried. War of the Bloods in My Veins is part of Morris's redemption, a cry to his brothers that gang life is mental illness. It is a rare and brutally honest look into the relentless storm of abandonment, violence, crime, death, and the endless rush toward the complete and utter self-annihilation that plagues the lives of the young "soldiers" who die every day in our streets.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 IF NOBODY IS BOLD ENOUGH TO DO IT, DONT HATE IF JIWE DID IT! BIG UP TO ALL THE HATERS!!! July 11, 2008
well i will tell you this from an ex-blood gangbanger's point of view ... and yes" for the record im a female because this gang also have females doing things you couldnt imagine... you have no idea what its like to be us , so for those whose judging him i feel very offended , first of all he's taking a risk everyday from rival gangbanger's,the fed's possibly, and also some bloods who feel that he's telling way too much information , and i take my hat off to him because in my book i couldnt even reveal my true identity because of the fear of feds, rivals, and quiet as kept my own supposedly homies. so for him to tell all , even if he knew it was risky ??? that was enough for me to believe that he was born to do this !!! ... anyone willing to make a sacrifice such as he did needs an standing ovation! to the critics we need you so much you'll make the book more popular... {" hi haters"} jiwe i love you keep doing what your doing... this gang world will take over the urban communities if more soldiers like you dont stand up and make a change god bless you, keep spreading the word. and dont lose focus! ... and besides this book is only for those who can recognize there is a problem, and by any means necessary we have to fix it! for as much is forgiven, the more is required !!! so thats why god didnt lock you in a cell and throw away the key , like some of the critics feel he should have done but , he released you to work for him! continue to keep the passion you have to save others, and god will continue to open doors no man can shut! and close doors in faces to the haters that no man can open. ya sis for life. love you...
MUST READ. May 31, 2008
I couldn't put this book down, it took two days to read,only because i had to be torn away from it to go to work. The first chapter was a little confusing but once you realize its a dream, the rest of the book is an easy read. It was eyeopening and inspirational. It gives hope that you can make a way out for yourself. That your past doesnt have to be your future. I will defintley pass this book along. AGAIN A MUST READ!
Another side of life May 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've been so inspired by this book. I have daughters and sons and for someone to reveal his lifestory with the hope of inspiring and motivating others is very admirable. I commend Jiwe in all that he has done by putting this book or shall I say "DIARY" out there for others to gain from. The book was very well written. It was soooooo hard to put down. I was almost mad that I had to work and that my lunch wasn't long enough.
A EYE OPENER May 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was had to be the first person at my job to get this book. I have close relatives that are so called gang members. I wanted to find out for someone's point of view WHY. This book is a definite wake up call to all in gangs that you can get out if you choose to. Not that its easy. But maybe adults or teens should buy this book for a son, nephew ,neice or daughter so they can see what really GOES DOWN. The videos and movies are not real. This book is real.mTake heed. Buy the book.
 Unrepentant predatory thug wants our sympathy May 4, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Just finished reading "War of the Bloods in My Veins." I almost tossed it aside before finishing the first chapter, which read as a disjointed and hallucinatory babbling mess that was obviously fictional . . . but then Deshawn woke up and we find that it was a dream sequence, so I continued reading.
The rest of the book wasn't bad. Refreshingly honest, and a revealing look at contemporary streetgang culture that you're not gonna find in Sociology texts like "Do or Die" by Leon Bing (which is considered the best book on the Crips & Bloods). Unlike some journalist who mingles with gangbangers for a month and takes down their stories, Deshawn has lived it from the time he participated in his first driveby at age 10.
One thing that annoyed me about this book was the blurb on the dustjacket, in which Deshawn seeks to portray himself as a victim unfairly expelled from college and barred from consideration for a career with the NFL. Buddy, not only did you do this to yourself, but you got off with a slap on the wrist. After threatening some frat guys with an illegal gun, Deshawn is given a second chance by the University's administration and permitted to remain in college . . . but then he commits an unprovoked attack on an unarmed individual with a machete, and gets expelled from school and sent to jail for less than a year. Now he is a published author who is offering speaking engagements about the folly of gang membership . . . yet, in his book, he seems to glory in his gangland achievements (including multiple homicides), and at the conclusion shouts out to a long list of his homies with what appears to be a pledge of continued loyalty.
Way to go Deshawn. Way to thumb yer nose at the Establishment and piss off the Feds. I'd strongly advise against carrying your illegal gun or partying with your "former" homies for the next few years, as I can pretty much guarantee they're keeping a real close eye on you. Fo' reals, yo.
As for the book, I recommend it to any sociologists or criminologists seeking a deeper understanding of the culture of Black street gangs. But honestly, I still don't understand them. Unlike intergenerational Asian and Hispanic gangs who are highly organized and networked within a community which openly supports them, Black gangs like the Crips & Bloods prey on their communities, each other, and even themselves (i.e., "set vs set" violence), while doing their best to perpetuate negative stereotypes and act like they're starring in a gangsta rap video. It seems pointless, and rather than learning from their mistakes, the crime and violence continues to spiral out of control.
This book provides a rare, raw, and highly credible glimpse of the gangsta lifestyle and mindset . . . and it ain't glamourous at all.
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