This book is based on Glennis Dennehy's master's thesis, which examines gang violence against women. The book considers why some women join gangs, the attractions that gangs and their members offer, the inferior roles women occupy, the dynamics that keep them there (including violence, gang rape and intimidation), the issues women face when trying to leave gangs, and the means by which they can escape gang control. To gain insight into these issues, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 women who had had life experiences within various New Zealand gang sub-cultures. The book outlines the lives (prior to, during, and after their gang associations) of the 10 women. Several common themes emerge: the majority of women came from dysfunctional families where violence featured quite commonly; most of the women left school without any qualifications; most of the women, especially those in Maori gangs, had experienced and largely tolerated chronic abuse from their partners (it took a crisis such as a death or a partner's imprisonment before the final decision to leave was made); and finally, religion played a role in leaving or after leaving the gang.