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Acknowledgments In the process of researching and writing this book, I have incurred many debts. First and foremost, I extend my gratitude to my friends and neighbors in Colonia Belén. I hope that my presentation does justice to the lives of the young men and women who made me part of their social world and offered me all manner of emotional and physical support. Their willingness to open up to me is what has made this work possible. I regret that I cannot mention them by name. This project was funded through a Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, a University of Iowa Stanley Research Grant, a UI Student Government Research Grant, and the University of Iowa Department of Anthropology. Writing was partially funded by a Seashore-Ballard Fellowship . Some parts of this book are revised from previous publications. Parts of chapter 1 appeared in my article “Everyday Violence and the Persistence of Grief: Wandering and Loss among Honduran Youths,” Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology 13, no. 2 (2008): 311–335. A shorter version of chapter 5 was published as my article “Safety and Sanctuary: Pentecostalism and Youth Gang Violence in Honduras,” Latin American Perspectives 35, no. 4 (2008): 96–111. Fieldwork was not always an easy venture. I thank the Beasley family for introducing me to El Progreso and their family, and thank Olivia for setting my mom’s mind at ease. While living in El Progreso, I received daily support from the Rivas-Baquedano family, without whose encouragement and orientation I would have been completely lost. Allan Palma served as my confessor and confidant in the times I faced ethical and emotional dilemmas. Without him and his kind words of encouragement , I would have lost sight about what it was that I was doing. Father Melo and the social research team E.R.I.C. (Equipo de Reflexi ón, Investigación, y Comunicación) provided me with office space and instant colleagues. I formulated many of my initial ideas in discussions with Marlon Carranza, Misael Castro, and Marco Tulio Gómez. Their interest in my work, critical questions, and feedback were invaluable as xii Acknowledgments I worked through my field experiences. The Marcia and Carlos Flores family played gracious hosts while I was in Tegucigalpa. Antonio Young and family provided perspective and opened many doors. Daisy Aracely Girón transcribed the interviews with care and precision. Regina Hausch spent many hours working with me on translations of my interviews. Without her assistance the translations would have sounded wooden and lifeless. I profited from many hours of discussion, both in and out of the classroom, with colleagues at Iowa. Jacqueline Comito gave me direction , food for thought, and unswerving emotional support (and even a roof over my head at a critical moment!) throughout all phases of research and writing. This work would have taken twice as long to finish and been only half as good had it not been for her encouragement and tough love. Special thanks goes to Jerry Wever, Betty Rodriguez-Feo, Samantha Solimeo, Ernie Cox, Sarah Ono, Carrie Hough, Brandy Case Haub, Mike Dunne, Steve Tulley, Murli Natrajan, and Vidya Kalaramadam for allowing me to sound off from time to time, and for providing intellectual stimuli and numerous fruitful directions for thinking about my data. At Luther College, my ideas continued to develop with the thoughtful comments and assistance of Harv Klevar, Tom Blanton , Amanda Hamp, Lea Pickard, Anne-Marine Feat, Amy Weldon, Matt Simpson, and Eric Baack. They represent the best of the liberal arts tradition of critical inquiry across the disciplines. Finally, presentation of various versions of the chapters collected herein has benefited from readings and reactions by Luther students both in and out of the classroom, especially those who have participated in my Street Cultures class. In particular, I would like to thank Greg Shirbroun for his editing assistance, and Chelle Meyer for her administrative assistance. Florence Babb is a model academic advisor and scholar. Engaged with and supportive of my project from the start, she maintained concern throughout, while allowing me the freedom to explore and express my ideas. She was even supportive when I announced a two-and-a-halfyear moratorium on the academy to join the Peace Corps. I owe an intellectual debt to Mac Marshall, Laura Graham, Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Daniel Balderston, and Thomas A. Lewis. Conversations with each of them at various stages of the project proved to bear fruit. I...

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