The vivid and authentic story of the attempt by a group of reformed street robbers to save their inner-city community. The failure of their scheme has valuable lessons to teach other projects of inner-city reform.

`This is a short but sobering book for idealists of all persuasions ... Robins is good on the criminal subculture: on its individual psychopathology, as well as its social function ... His disappointment with the process and outcome of local politics has not dimmed an empathy for the area visible in his sharp sketches of local personalities ... Anyone interested in what happens to the disadvantaged in our cities should read it, and prepare, if not to weep, at least to mourn the fantasies of the past 20 years.' Roger Graef, New Statesman & Society `an extraordinary book ... I picked it up to browse, and couldn't put it down. It is gripping to read, in the best traditions of urban ethnography.' Geoffrey Pearson 'His disappointment with the process and outcome of local politics has not dimmed an empathy for the area visible in his sharp sketches of local personalities. Anyone interested in what happens to the disadvantaged in our cities should read it, and prepare, if not to weep, at least to mourn the fantasies of the past 20 years.' Roger Graef, New Statesman & Society 'the sharp images conveyed in Tarnished Vision pull on the heart as well as the mind. It is a fundamentally persuasive text ... should be essential reading for both academics and practitioners concerned with marginalised youth and local community initiatives established purportedly on their behalf' Howard Williamson, University of Wales College of Cardiff 'Robins provides a vivid description of life in "Satellite City" as a backdrop to understanding the dynamics and pressures involved in the development of a community center.' Eric Fritsch, Sam Houston State University, The Criminologist, January/February. 1994 `Robins ... displays a broad-based knowledge of the area ... By adopting an unobtrusive ethnographic approach, the author is able to present a vivid and quite fascinating account of the initiation and development of `The Center' ... a worthy read for the academic sociologist or criminologist; for the teacher, social worker, youth worker, probation officer or community worker; or for anybody interested in inner-urban life.' Town Planning Review `a unique book, bringin the area and the people to life via anecdote and description, recognising the humour that exists among the despair, the victimisation of those already on the margins, the lack of solidarity, and the jealousy of those that do succeed. Read it.' LCCJ Newsletter