Book Review: The Stickup Kids, Sociological Theory (Essay Sample)

The Stickup Kids
Name
Institution
Fallen star
The book The Stickup Kids is a tale about a group of Dominican men and their involvement in the drug industry (Contreras, 2012). The Dominican men were high profile drug dealers who lived a luxurious life that was a privilege to a few individuals in their neighborhoods. All the people in the neighborhood respected the stickup kids because of their hardcore nature and involvement in drug dealing. The group of Dominican men engaged in criminal activities and drug robbery as a means to get rich in a neighborhood that comprised of high unemployment rates and poverty (Contreras, 2012). They came from South Bronx and had built a reputable name for themselves as the ultimate drug barons and kingpins in South Bronx. The poor state of the economy made things worse for the youth in South Bronx because they all wanted to live a luxurious lifestyle like the Stickup kids. The author Randol Contreras, however in Chapter 11 of The Stickup Kids describes the Dominican men particularly Pablo and Gus as fallen stars.
Randol Contreras argues that during their peak, the Dominican men were always bold, confident and had impressive social lives (Contreras, 2012). This was because they were financially secure and respected by the South Bronx people. Their peers were envious of them because they controlled the illegal drug market hence had a huge pool of financial resources. Contreras, however, argues that their success took a sudden dive when they started to lose their money and influence in the streets (Contreras, 2012). As a result of this unfortunate event, the men were trying desperately to adapt to a new kind of lifestyle that they were not accustomed to during their glory days. Contreras (2012) argues that as a result of financial difficulties, the South Bronx men would later contemplate suicide as they lived in a state of self-destruction. The author, Contreras, describes Pablo and Gus as fallen stars because of their rise to riches and their ultimate fall to a state of poverty and destruction. The author compares Pablo and Gus as meteors that zoom across the sky only to crash later in their course. Their fall to poverty greatly disoriented them in which they would later live a life of violence as a means to survive and return to their once lavish life (Contreras, 2012).
Contreras (2012) describes Pablo’s predicaments by arguing that for almost a period of one year, he could barely survive and was only able to do so because of the little amount of money that he had from drug robberies. Pablo would no longer afford to eat in expensive restaurants, drink in expensive night clubs nor take his girlfriends out. Pablo was not even able to wear expensive cloths and jewelry that he was accustomed to. Contreras (2012) goes on to argue that the people that once followed Pablo for financial favors now avoided him like a plague because they were afraid that Pablo would ask them for money. Pablo was now not a star, but a fallen star who was contemplating suicide.
Contreras (2012) describes Gus as a devoted and hard working man who purchased and sold drugs in a professional manner; always aiming at increasing production and profits. With all the profits that he was making, Gus lived an extravagant life always enjoying the company of beautiful women and partying hard. His downfall, however, started when the drug market for ‘crack’ started to decrease. There was a decrease in business and hence he could not sustain the kind of lifestyle that he was used to. Instead of purchasing and selling drugs, Gus now engaged in criminal activities such as drug robbery always waiting for information about a drug dealer so that he could rob him of his product and money (Contreras, 2012). Gus got so broke that he saw his only way to getting money was to rob other drug dealers. Gus’ life took a downward trend as he started to abuse marijuana more often than he used to. He was now not a star, but a fallen star.
Anomie
According to Contreras (2012), in reference to Emile Durkheim’s anomie theory:
“Anomy is an anguished human condition caused by a sudden social or personal crisis that weakens society’s moral grip. With little moral order, some people feel lost as to their proper desires and needs. Then their passions run amok, uncontrolled, leading to dangerous outbursts of living or bouts of despair. At the extreme, a few commit anomic suicides-they kill themselves because of no moral guidance (217-218).”
Emile Durkheim’s anomie theory helps explain why the Stickup kids were engaging in criminal activities. It is important to note that the aim of the anomie theory is to explain the breakdown of social norms and guidance (Downes & Rock, 2011). Some people may choose to use institutionalized means while others may chose to use un-institutionalized means of attaining the societal goals. It depends on the situation that a person finds himself in and also personal beliefs. Emile Durkheim argues that when there are no opportunities of attaining success through institutionalized means for example employment, people will often resort to cr...