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 A former gang member tells his story of a time when gangs ruled the streets of Dundee. He exposes their violence, terrible territorial battles, but also their loyalty and humour. This is the story straight from the horses’ mouth.

 Getting info wasn’t easy. Gary had to interview past and present gang members to learn their rituals, formation and signature sayings. Some stories he was forbidden to repeat.  It was a courageous and daunting task, as many of the infamous gangs are still active today. The Kirkton Huns, probably the most notorious of all, continue to operate with younger men taking up the fight.

 The volatile subject matter is still as difficult to tackle now as it was some forty years ago. True crime is never an easy subject to investigate for a book – you never know when you may be crossing the line between history and an incriminating account. Gangs of Dundee is the history of gangs in their own words and anecdotes – often in Dundonian Scots – and shows the colourful, true-to-life story of how gangs have shaped Dundee’s culture.

 Gangs first emerged in Dundee when schemes were overrun by street gangs in the mid-60s. After the end of WWII in 1945, housing schemes were built to alleviate over-crowding problems. But as the buildings degenerated, so too did their sense of community. Becoming evermore dangerous and troublesome, gangs ruled the streets of Dundee by the 1970s.

 NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Author profile — Gary Roberts was born in 1967 and has lived and worked in Dundee all his life. A fitness fanatic who has climbed Scotland’s 284 Munros, in 2001 he won the BBC 2 reality TV series, SAS: Are You Tough Enough? He very much enjoys family life and even finds time for playing the bagpipes. He and fellow Dundonian Mark Thomson are the two halves of Tribal Tongues, a high energy poetry partnership performing in the Dundee dialect. Gary’s first poetry collection will be published by Luath Press, and launched on Thursday 6 December at 7pm at Borders Bookshop, 42 East Dock Street, Dundee.
Trade order hotline — please call HarperCollins Book Distribution Centre on 0870 787 1730.
Mail order — please call Luath Direct on 0131 225 4326 [24 hours] (fax 0131 225 4324)
ISBN — 1 906307 03 2, £9.99