The Wasted Years - Jess Stearn

The Wasted Years by Jess Stearn is a nonfiction investigation into juvenile crime and the troubled world of teenage gangs. Stearn, a New York newspaper journalist, looks beyond the sensational headlines to examine the circumstances surrounding young people involved in murder, violence, prostitution, drug addiction and other forms of delinquency.

Using reported cases and interviews, the book asks what drives teenagers to commit seemingly senseless acts of violence and brutality. Published as a provocative true-crime and social-problem book, The Wasted Years reflects the anxieties of its era about youth culture, gang violence and the breakdown of traditional social structures.