The book focuses on a large segment of Detroit's female population and how women view what they are doing as self- empowering. The author takes a close look at the economic realities of life on the street, showing that female involvement with drugs and gangs represents another facet of America's decaying urban culture. He demonstrates that female criminality is not solely a question of low self- esteem or needing to belong to a group; for many young women, selling drugs or joining a gang has become the only chance they see for achievement. The author also notes that women have been isolated due to racial and gender barriers, that urban attitudes have been influenced by the drug culture, that 80 percent of black families in Detroit living below the poverty level are headed by single women, and that social theories created by white males have little or no relevance to black female gangs. The author describes his field work methodology and responses of the black community and the criminal justice system to the collapse of urban communities. Appendixes contain a list of field work questions and a slang glossary.