The Marvelous Ones: Drugs, Gang Violence, and R. Contreras Paperback**

University of California Press

The Marvelous OnesDrugs, Gang Violence, and Resistance in East Los Angeles\nAuthor(s): Randol Contreras\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of California Press, United States\nImprint: University of California Press\nISBN-13: 9780520295094, 978-0520295094\nSynopsis\nAn intimate portrait of LA gang members turning to drugs, nostalgia, and religion as they age and fight to stay relevant in a new era.\n Once celebrated in the gang world as rebels who defied the established prison order, veterano Maravilla gang members now grapple with the consequences of leading violent and drug-ridden lives. At once thrilling and tender, The Marvelous Ones sheds light on how these aging gang members struggle to stay meaningful in the face of addiction, violent trauma, and a rapidly changing East Los Angeles.\n Randol Contreras spent close to a decade studying the legendary Maravilla gangs of East LA, who made waves in the 1990s for their rebellion against the most powerful prison gang in the Unit.