“Thug Mentality Exposed” by Rayford L. Johnson gives an in-depth look at the culture and mindset of gang members or those living the thug lifestyle, using research and prose from wards in youth prison that have or are in gangs.

The writings of the youth prisoners give us a very intimate look at the mentality of gang members and thugs, and give examples of some of the violent and disturbing things they have done in association with their gangs. The book also gives us examples of what some thugs think of women and their lifestyles.

Johnson is able to give us such an accurate and informative depiction because he has been a correctional counselor for the Department of Corrections for the past 11 years. Johnson deals with gang members on a daily basis, so he has a first-hand look at how gang members and thugs think and act.

Johnson also offers a correlation between thug culture and ancient Babylonian Pagan cults, which is interesting because there are very distinct similarities between the two. Some examples of what thug culture and ancient pagan cults share are drugs, tattooing, musical worship and cursing.

There are some parts of the books that are just shocking and heartbreaking. Johnson tells the reader about how pit bulls are the dogs of choice for thugs, because the dogs are friendly, but can be turned into killing machines. It was heart-breaking to learn that some thugs murder their pooches because the dog had lost a dog fight and lost their owner money.

The book also gives us a look at the background behind some popular gang and thug activities, like tattooing and cursing. For instance, tattooing in ancient times was a way for some to open their souls up to demons, or to protect themselves from sickness. Johnson writes that these days, tattoos are used by thugs to intimidate and put fear into people.

He also tells us that cursing is Satan’s way of subtracting life from us for each curse word used.

The final part of the book offers up a solution for the thug lifestyle, and a way to revamp your life. Some of the advice given is to seek God and the teachings of the Bible to improve you, the reader, and thugs to get out of the thug mentality and lifestyle.

One of the things that detracts from the book is that Johnson seems to identify any religion other than Christianity or religion centered on God as “pagan” or the “occult.” Examples of these religions are typically Eastern ones, like Taoism and Hinduism, and also religions that are already thought as dark, such as witchcraft.

The book can be very informative to those who are curious about the history of gangs and thugs, as long as the reader doesn’t mind being preached to about the Bible, God and some aspects of popular culture that are deemed as evil and sinful. Examples of those aspects are tattoos, rock and rap music, and video games.

This book is a great read for someone who has an interest in the inner workings of the mind of a thug or gang member.

Stephanie Samsel can be reached at [email protected].