Throughout life you experience many emotions and undergo many changes. Changes that aren't always obvious, changes that can't always be reasoned with, or changes that are more reflective of behavior, changes that are dependent on the environment. In Deanna Wilkinson's Guns, Violence, and Identity Among African American and Latino Youth, Wilkinson studies the role of violence and firearms in the social identity construction of minority youth. Wilkinson studies 125 violent African American and Latino males between the ages of 16 and 24 in New York City, analyzing 306 violent situations of which 151 involve firearms. The social world of these young people is characterized by violence, internalized street codes, limited opportunities and the availability of firearms. Violent events are public social spectacles. These performances often have serious consequences for social identity and personal safety. Wilkinson shows how violence is a resource for acquiring/maintaining social identity (masculinity) and status on the street. The dynamics of the transition from victim to executioner is clearly understood in the socio-cultural context of the street. It demonstrates the role that guns play in “enabling” adolescents to engage in conflicts outside of specific age groups (http://www.lfbscholarly.com/criminal_justice/wilkinson_320094.htm). In this book, Wilkinson identifies the reasons for the increase in gun violence among minority youth. Wilkinson trains sex offenders to conduct peer interviews to note how adolescent males cope with, adapt to, and in some situations overcome the difficulties of the streets. I think this was a great idea as it allows Wilkinson and everyone who reads his book to get a clear and accurate picture of what goes on in an offender's mind. Furthermore, by doing so, Wilkinson not only allows the common public to see the cause and effect of crime and criminals, but allows the criminals themselves to escape their reality and have a say in the fact that they are not born criminals. Additionally, Wilkinson referenced a number of different resources for his own research in an attempt to address this issue. Extensive investigations, socioeconomic statistics, practical research and a myriad of different theories presented by a long list of accredited criminologists to aid you in your study. Wilkinson began his study of youth gun violence in 1994 in New York City. Wilkinson hoped to answer some unsolved mysteries of youth gun violence in this study. Some of the most surprising questions Wilkinson sought to answer were: “What roles do family background, peers, environment, school involvement, and work play?” “Why do they seem to invite situations that result in violence?” “How do you determine in which situations to use violence?” “How do young people balance consequences and quality of life?” Their fearlessness means they have nothing to lose?