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East Los Angeles is an independent enclave of extreme violence, criminal conduct, and stifling poverty. It is also home to a vibrant Mexican American community of residents chasing the American dream, but often hobbled by addiction and difficult circumstances. The community is home to members of embattled gangs called the Maravillas, "the marvelous ones." Ethnographer Contreras (Univ. of California, Riverside) commendably succeeds in detailing this narrative through multiyear interviews and personal contact with 38 older men who are gang members. The challenges of ethnographic research are substantial for such researchers, including possible harm. Correspondingly, the realities for the Maravillas are daunting: drug addiction supported by criminal activity and turf battle with their enemies, the Mexican Mafia, while transitioning in and out of prison. Is there any hope here? Not for some who are unable to break the hold heroin has on their lives. Yet for others, marriage, family responsibilities, economic advancement, and the Pentecostal church shatter the life-darkening cycle. Contreras reports discerningly on his subjects' views on many topics, including how members value the church, strive for connections with their families and peers, and expound political views on Trump. Like its title, this is a marvelous book.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.