It was the last days on Earth. Deception was in its greatest form as people worshipped money and the things it brought foward. Deonica Joyner thought she had it made as her bank account grew from dating a multi-millionaire oil tycoon. She turned her back on spirituality only to be left-behind on Earth. The Wallace twins had the best opportunity to be caught up with their mother than the thugs they ran the streets with. They too became left-behind as they witnessed Jesus in the sky while on a mission to Mexico to rescue Deonica from her captives. She placed money over God as the twins chose the thug-life to be Left Behind with the Homies.

Chicano style from and beyond the pages of Mi Vida Loca magazine....

Each with complications from childhood, five teenagers become united through a notorious street gang. Through their deep affiliation the members are set up for losses as they come face to face with the harsh realities and consequences of gang life. Will the teens remain close through their trial and tribulations that involve sex, pimping, money, murder and drugs; or will temptation be the cause of division amongst the crew when loyalties are questioned as they engage in violent retaliation against rival hoods causing near death experiences for some and fatalities for others, all while remaining systematically influenced by street conduct and sticking to the G-code. Come along for a ride through the streets of Los Angeles as these five individuals become intertwined within the overwhelming lifestyle of California’s gangland.

Greater Than is another bold collection of poetry from James J. Adams. This is James’s first published collection of poetry in seven years. Though the author has not published and shared his material with the public in several years, this collection is the result of his time spent reflecting, observing, and being a good student of the world. The author labored over this collection, taking in the noise and confusion of the world. The encouraging message of the book is people striving for greatness must not be swayed, distracted, or get lost in the chaos. The author concludes that greatness isn’t necessarily any particular career, athletic, or monetary achievements. Rather, individual or group greatness is a matter of spiritual success and positive as well as lasting contributions to the lives of others.

HOMIES is a study of a group of African-American men from the west side of Chicago known as "homies." This study explains the communication & bonding between these men. It exposes the social contribution of their alternative reality & explores its rationality. Information gathered from about 20 homies describes two differing homie cultures: "book smart" & "street smart." Additionally, four themes emerge in this study: 1) "I am who you're not--the culture that gets defined becomes the one that is controlled; 2) "The 'hood' is my real home"--"homies" rarely travel physically or mentally from the confines of their neighborhood; 3) "We are alone together"--they have maintained & supported their roles as social outcasts; & 4) "We can't & if we could, we don't know how"--they have created a culture that isolates them from society as well as denies them the tools to adequately fight the system. To order write to LEPS Press, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, call 800-348-7543, or FAX 815-753-0369.

Using the tools of sociological theory, Robert Brenneman seeks to discover why a pot-smoking, gun-wielding "homie" gang member would want to trade in la vida loca for a Bible and the buttoned-down lifestyle of an evangelical hermano (brother in Christ) - and to what extent this strategy works for the many youth who have tried it.