LIFE OF A GANG BANGER...ULTIMATELY A STORY OF REDEMPTION...

Original Diamond Boy: the Psychology of a Gang Banger by YoYo (aka

Le'Taxione) is powerful, deeply troubling, and, ultimately, a story of redemption. When Le'Taxione, at age ten, picked up a .22 revolver that had been dropped during a drug-related shooting, he longed to use the pistol. Finally, in a "dimly lit parking lot" he found his opportunity and shot a man. Instead of sympathy or remorse he experienced a sense of liberation and thus began an addiction to violence that stayed with him throughout the rest of his childhood and much of his adult life. A narrative of violent and brutal gang life in both the streets and prison, Original Diamond Boy is, paradoxically, also a story of healing. Human connections - relationships - are essential for recovery from the trauma caused by violence in the home, on the streets, or resulting from racism and oppression. Le'Taxione was nurtured by the relationships forged with other members of the Diamond Boys, and those relationships made possible his journey toward wholeness. This amazing, unforgettable book illuminates a path toward healing for our children: work to eradicate the violence of gang life, of racism and oppression, but treasure the gang and the relationships between its members.

- Barbara Bennett, Ph.D.,

School Psychologist and Educational Consultant; Co-founder of First Place School (an independent school in Seattle for children who have experienced trauma due to family and/or community violence, homelessness, poverty, racism and oppression); Instructor, "The Psychology of Trauma", a University Behind Bars course at Monroe Correctional Complex.