The Chosen Ones
Black Men and the Politics of Redemption
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In The Chosen Ones, sociologist and feminist scholar Nikki Jones shares the compelling story of a group of Black men living in San Francisco's historically Black neighborhood, the Fillmore. Against all odds, these men work to atone for past crimes by reaching out to other Black men, young and old, with the hope of guiding them toward a better life. Yet despite their genuine efforts, they struggle to find a new place in their old neighborhood. With a poignant yet hopeful voice, Jones illustrates how neighborhood politics, everyday interactions with the police, and conservative Black gender ideologies shape the men's ability to make good and forgive themselves--and how the double-edged sword of community shapes the work of redemption.
Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies
Social Science / Criminology
Social Science / Discrimination
About this Author
Nikki Jones is Associate Professor of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence.
Reviews
"Jones does a masterful job exploring the process of redemption among street-involved Black men; a process that is neither linear nor solely an individual effort. Her critique of violence prevention programmes shows the ineffectiveness of such initiatives in making Black communities safer while exacerbating problems of crime and violence. The Chosen Ones is an important contribution at the intersection of race, crime, and justice and would be well suited for scholars and students of Criminology, Sociology, African American Studies, and Gender Studies."
"Nikki Jones addresses a significant sociological puzzle: how does violence in inner-city neighborhoods continue despite institutional and individual level resources aimed at addressing this problem? . . . The Chosen Ones is an in-depth and powerful account that must be read by anyone interested in researching and addressing the violence experienced by those most vulnerable, often young people of color in inner-city neighborhoods, and understanding the material conditions that facilitate and challenge it."
"The Chosen Ones is theoretically astute, methodologically sound, and empirically rich and a model of what ethical, ethnographic research should look like in urban sociology."
"The book offers a nuanced account of crime fighting and identifies challenges that are not well covered in the broader sociological and criminological literatures. . . . The Chosen Ones should be read by gender scholars, urban sociologists, criminologists, and ethnographers."
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