One might ask why we need yet another book on street gangs, as there have been a number of contributions to this line of research within the past couple of decades. What makes Howell’s book decidedly different is that he does not offer mere lip service to history, but devotes the whole of his book to following the course of gangs and gang formation in the US and beyond. . . .The book is saved from obscurity with a predictive epilogue that is solidly based in modernity while offering a cautionary reminder that history has a way of repeating itself. Howell predicts that the more recent immigration wave may very well have an effect on existing gang structures as well as the possibility of new structures emerging. For the money, Howell is one of the leading specialists on gangs in the US today, and keeps an eye on transnational trends. A must-have in the library of any scholar interested in studying street gangs. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above.