Maras : gang violence and security in Central America /

As this dense essay collection demonstrates, maras-organized Central American gangs whose raisons d'etre are drug trafficking and violence-are widespread throughout Central America, appearing in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Mara organizations formed in Los Angeles and were introduced to Central America as the United States deported gang members to their native countries. Aimed at academics and politicians interested in Central American crime, the essays will still provide worthwhile information to intrepid, uninitiated readers, though this collection is sure to be a slow, complicated read. Bruneau (national security affairs, Naval Postgraduate Sch.), Lucia Dammert (executive director, Global Consortium on Security Transformation), and Elizabeth Skinner (think tank coordinator, Allied Command Transformation, NATO) organize the book into two parts, "Case Studies" and "Responses to Gang Violence," with discussions of the impact of maras on individual Central American countries. In addition, the authors suggest policy implications for government intervention. Finally, the book offers a thoughtful conclusion, "The Dilemma of Fighting Gangs in New Democracies," along with a detailed glossary and bibliography. VERDICT A significant read for a limited professional audience.-Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.