Teenage Wasteland

Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia's Dead End Kids was a book written by Donna Gaines about youth culture in America. Specifically, the book targets troubled youth in the form of rock 'n' roll kids in the 80s and 90s. I read the introduction to this book and gathered both the basis for the writers decision to write the book as well as her own credibility in writing it. Gaines starts by pointing out that her decision to write the book is based on her journalistic investigation of a teenage suicide pact in 1987. Four teenagers committed suicide together and she was dispatched by her newspaper, The Voice, to write a story on the subject. She then realizes upon investigating the incident that she had lost touch with youth culture. She explains that she has always felt that she was in touch with youth because she describes how her own youth was troubled. She grew up as an outcast rocker who had problems common among youths such as drugs, sexual deviance, and other teenage vice. However, she goes on to explain that she had eventually grown out of such habits and focused more on family and professional life. As a result she felt like she had eventually lost her grasp on what modern teens were experiencing. When she began investigating the suicide pact, she began to question what it was about modern teens that drove them to behave in the way that they did. She also found that the boundaries of social status did not affect how teens felt or behaved. She noticed that poor urban youth seemed to display traits similar to wealthy suburban youths.
Gaines' book obviously targets youth in a time that may not touch on hip hop culture directly, but the book seems to target youth aggression and its impact on society. Although her focus is on rock 'n' roll youths, the subject may be applicable to hip hop as well, especially when considering how one of the largest demographics of listeners to gangster rap is suburban youth. I think this book would be a fascinating read because it would address the issue of why youth need such heavy outlets for aggression. It may provide insight into why youth feel such aggression and what possible solutions might be available. It could also say that the sharing of aggressive music is a way to safely vent such frustrations. I would certainly need other sources if I wanted to tie this into a paper that addressed hip hop impact on youth culture, but this book could prove to be a huge resource when analyzing modern teens.