In Panfil's ethnographic reporting of 53 male gang members who are gay and belong to predominantly homosexual, heterosexual, or hybrid gangs, she pushes against traditional literature and stereotypes that place disproportionate focus on hypermasculinity. Instead, Panfil (sociology and criminal justice, Old Dominion Univ.) introduces a subculture of a counterculture that faces many of the same challenges as the gay community in general, including fears of detection and/or rejection by fellow gang members. Panfil's book serves as both a brilliant reference book for those doing gang research and a guide for ethnographic methodology in general, freely and generously admitting to some of the challenges she faced in conducting her research. The author does not restrict her exploration of the subject to social dynamics of gang life, but goes into considerable depth on the underground economies of the individuals she studied. The research is all the more interesting as Panfil is a self-proclaimed "outsider" conducting field research on males of color who live at the intersection of criminal and sexual identity, both topics that have important places within gang research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students/faculty/professionals.

--L. L. Hansen, Western New England University

Laura Lynn Hansen

Western New England University

Queer feminist criminology scholar Panfil inserts herself into the underground of an underground, studying the lives and experiences of 48 gang-involved gay men (and 53 gay men overall) in the Columbus, Ohio, metro area. Panfil explains that her study was motivated by a general lack of research in the field of criminology as it pertains to the LGBTQ community. More specifically, she wanted to better understand the experiences of gay men in the hypermasculine context of gang life. The book, which is essentially an academic account of her research, complicates assumptions that "male gang members and active offenders are exclusively heterosexual" and that "gang membership and violence are ways to construct stereotypical masculine and heterosexual identities only." Panfil reports that the day-to-day experiences of gay men differ depending on whether they're members of straight gangs, gay gangs, or hybrid gangs. She achieves remarkable access to these young men—her fieldwork included attending social events with her subjects, driving around with them, and going to their homes. The book paves the way for a more in-depth understanding of a marginalized community. (Aug.)