men were to the culture of Glen Ridge." (Lefkowitz: 9)

Leslie Faber, her real name concealed for privacy, was a seventeen year old mentally challenged female who was coerced into the basement of the Scherzer house where she was promised that her 'dream date' Paul Archer would be waiting for her. Having grown up in the town of Glen Ridge, Leslie had previous social relations with the boys who were in the basement. All of the boys were quite familiar with her mental disability that allowed her to be easily coerced and manipulated. Despite the fact that the Scherzer's grandmother was upstairs, or that six of the thirteen boys left when the assault on Leslie first began, Kyle and Kevin Scherzer, Chris and Paul Archer, Bryant Grober, Peter Quigley, and Richard Corcoran continued with their rape of Leslie Faber. Directly after the attack, the boys told Leslie that she must keep the incident a secret with threats that they would no longer be her friend, she would be kicked out of school, and that her mother would be mad at her. "We'll be mad at you if you talk about this, you'll get kicked out of your school, we'll tell your mother if you break our secr

The six seniors and one junior high school boy involved in the gang rape had a history of behavioral misconduct in the Glen Ridge community. Some examples of their misbehavior include: disrespectful attitudes to those in authority, sexual exposure in school, stealing money from the girls' purses at the Candy Cane Ball, and the vandalism of property at a student's party. However, regardless of these actions, the boys were never seriously punished. They were viewed as town heroes; they were attractive young athletes who were involved in football, wrestling, and baseball. These sports were some of the most important and prestigious institutions recognized by the town.

Lefkowitz examines the attitudes and behaviour of the young men involved in the rape, who are referred to as 'jocks' due to their athletic affiliations. He blames the jock culture as leading evidence of their crime. The author points out that this incident is not merely an extreme case of boys gone awry, but a symbol of the Glen Ridge culture. The community greatly glorified athletics, specifically the sports that involved males. In fact, all of the senior level sports that were prominent in the town were male dominant. This was not unusual as women were typically not viewed as considerable members of the community and were excluded from the more prestigious institutions of the town, including such things as sports and the community council. The major purpose behind Our Guys was to show that the events that took place in Glen Ridge were not an exception, but instead, a representation of many communities that are viewed as 'suburban paradises'.

Leslie went to her friend Jennifer Lipinski to discuss what happened to her since the experience "hurt", but her friend was not home. Leslie was afraid to tell her mother, Rosalind Faber. However, Leslie did mention the incident to one of her teachers. Moreover, another teacher overheard Charles Figueroa, a senior student, in a conversation with a friend regarding the rape. "At that moment Ariel Riviera, Charlie's special education teacher, heard only a few sentences of the boys' conversation, but what he heard provoked his curiosity" (Lefkowitz: 226). Yet, the school officials did not make a report to the authorities until three weeks afterwards because they were uncertain as to whether they should get involved as the incident did not occur on school property.

The treatment of the girls in town can be perceived as rewards to the warrior jocks; the girls had to accept the jocks' sexual behaviour and misogynist attitudes to be part of the popular group. Unfortunately, the book does not delve into the possible causes for the boys' hyper sexuality. Many of the examples of misbehavior in the jock group involve the same boys. It is possible to conclude from this that something in their personal lives possibly led them to be this way.

The school and township should also put more funding into other extra-curricular programs such as art, music, and science. These programs should also be given the opportunity for recognition and importance to show that athletics is not the only

Some common words found in the essay are:
Glen Ridge, Ridge Lefkowitz, Faber Directly, York University, Leslie Faber, Cane Ball, Riviera Charlie's, Evaluation Lefkowitz, Ridge Leslie, glen ridge, Police Department, town council, culture glen ridge, leslie faber, culture glen, ridge lefkowitz, glen ridge lefkowitz, school officials, rape leslie faber, school officials report, examples misbehavior, paul archer, officials report, thirteen boys, six thirteen boys,
Approximate Word count = 2104
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)