TY  - JOUR
T1  - A thief's primer.
AU  - Rappaport RG
Y1  - 1969/12/01
N1  - 10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740240122017
JO  - Archives of General Psychiatry
SP  - 762
EP  - 763
VL  - 21
IS  - 6
N2  - There are a number of interesting and exciting aspects to this book. Primarily, it does achieve the author's purpose of humanizing the "criminal," and making some sense of what seems to be a meaningless existence. Through the eyes of Sam, a man "who makes his living completely outside of the law. . ." one is able to gain a feeling for the language, outlook, perspective, and thinking of a typical criminal. The frame of reference is enlarged by referring to the author's and criminals' (other than Sam) criticisms of Sam's remarks.The text is essentially divided into three parts. The introduction gives enlightening background information on prisons, criminals, and Sam. A second major aspect is the attention given to definitions which pervade the book and are particularly outlined in a separate chapter. The faithfulness of the language and detailed descriptions of Sam's criminal experiences give a feeling of realism
SN  - 0003-990X
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740240122017
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740240122017
ER  -