The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia: The biography of Robert L. Gratton by Nina Fuentes ~ Northern California Chicano Prison Gang Boss

Title: The Rise and Fall of the Nuestra Familia: The biography of Robert L. Gratton, one of California's highest-ranking prison gang members

Author: Nina Fuentes

Description: Soft cover. Just a hint of corner wear. Clean and unmarked. Near like new. 25 b&w photographs on 8 pages. [18] + 398 pages. Rare. Only five copies in WorldCat institutions (including Library of Congress, Drug Enforcement Agency Library, Rutgers).

This book follows the life of Robert Gratton, one the of the highest-ranking members of La Nuestra Familia, one of California's most violent prison gangs credited with over 300 murders. Until now, little has been known about its 38-year history and activities. Members follow a blood oath and are sworn to a lifetime commitment and secrecy enforced through the threat of death.

Through extensive interviews with Gratton, Nina Fuentes tells the tale of his journey from troubled youth involved in petty crime to his rise to the top of the hierarchy of this most feared prison gang. The level of insider detail provided in these pages has never before been known outside of La Nuestra Familia itself.

After Finding himself in a situation similar to that faced by Henry Hill and Sammy''The Bull'' Gravano, two of the Italian Mafia's heaviest hitters, he boldly decides to follow their lead. Facing the possibility of life in prison, Gratton turned FBI informer, earning an automatic death sentence for hid disloyalty.

Gratton, with a new lease on life and in the Witness Protection Program, has since become involved with numerous law enforcement agencies in the hope that his experience will enable them to understand and combat the insidious influence of gangs on American society.

Concludes with a list of 173 individuals mentioned in the book, noting their fate (as of 2003), a glossary, and list of acronyms.

Binding: Softcover
Condition: Near Fine

Publisher: Nucause Books
Place: [place not identified]
Year: 2003

Keywords: biography, biographies, true crime, California, Northern California, Chicano, prison gang, prison gangs, criminals, prisoners, gang members, gangsters, Hispanic American, Mexican American,