Ghetto Brother

An engrossing and counter view of one of the most dangerous elements of American urban history,this graphic novel tells the true story of Benjy Melendeza Bronx legendson of Puerto-Rican immigrantswho foundedat the end of the 1960sthe notorious Ghetto Brothers gang. From the seemingly bombed-out ravages of his neighborhoodwracked by drugspovertyand violencehe managed to extract an incredibly positive energy from this riot ridden era: his multiracial gang promoted peace rather than violence. After initiating a gang trucethe Ghetto Brothers held weekly concerts on the streets or in abandoned buildingswhich fostered the emergence of hip-hop. Melendez also began to reclaim his Jewish roots after learning about his family’s dramatic crypto-Jewish background.