This Commemorative Thirtieth Anniversary edition adds a 2014 afterword with a follow-up on the lives of some of the participants. Although suitable for general audiences, the book can and has been used for college and high school classes such as criminal justice, sociology, and ethnic studies.

Here's the description from the back cover:

"Homeboys forever," said Smiley to his carnales. "And now we are going to college together-and making it good."

It wasn't easy then and it isn't easy now, but the spirit of the barrio fighter, (like Paul Gonzalez in the 1984 Olympics) welcomes the challenge on all fronts, intellectual as well as physical. And the homeboys are shouting, "We can do it-if we back each other up!"

The true stories in this book, some written by the homeboys themselves, will be an inspiration to some and a challenge to all. Perhaps they will even awaken the homeboy or homegirl ideal within each of us.

It all begins with reading!