Down These Mean Streets is Piri Thomas’ coming-of-age story in Spanish Harlem. In the memoir, Thomas recounts his Depression-era upbringing, and his continual struggle with racial identity. As a youth, Thomas engages in several acts of deviance and criminality, eventually landing in prison after shooting a police officer during a botched bar robbery. You must utilize two theories from the second half of the course to analyze Thomas’ behavior, and the reasons for his actions, in the memoir.
You must discuss some of the events in the book explicitly. That is, I should be able to tell from your answer that you have, in fact, read the book – however, do NOT submit something to me that is solely a summary Thomas’ actions. I am not looking for a plot summary: the emphasis here, as always, is on using the theory to explain how social forces affect human action – if you do not do this, you will fail the final, period.