Lewis Yablonsky

Lewis Yablonsky (November 23, 1924 – January 29, 2014) was an American sociologist, criminologist, author, and psychotherapist best known for his innovative and experiential work with gang members as well as with the counterculture of the 1960s. He wrote seventeen books and taught for over thirty years at California State University, Northridge.

Early life and education Lewis Edward Yablonsky was born on November 23, 1924, in Irvington, New Jersey, the son of a laundry delivery truck driver. His father, Harry Yablonsky, was a Russian Jewish immigrant and his mother, Fannie, was from Romania. He attended South Side High School in Newark where he claimed to be friends with a variety of criminals and sociopaths. His work with hippies and gang members led him to testify in many court cases, most notably the trial of hippie leader Gridley Wright where Yablonsky pled the Fifth Amendment when asked about his drug use. On rare occasions he also testified for the prosecution, including at the trial of Damian Williams who was infamous for his brutal attack on Reginald Denny. The Tunnel Back: Synanon. New York: Macmillan, 1965. The Hippie Trip. New York, Pegasus, 1968. Robopaths. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1972. The Extra-sex Factor: Why over Half of America's Married men Play Around. New York: Times Books, 1979. The Little League Game: How Kids, Coaches, and Parents Really Play It. New York: Times Books, 1979. Psychodrama: Resolving Emotional Problems through Role-playing. New York: Gardner Press, 1981. The Therapeutic Community: A Successful Approach for Treating Substance Abusers. New York: Gardner Press, 1989. Fathers and Sons: The Most Challenging of All Family Relationships. New York: Gardner Press, 1990. The Emotional Meaning of Money. New York: Gardner Press, 1991. Gangsters: Fifty Years of Madness, Drugs and Death on the Streets of America. New York: New York University Press, 1997. George Raft. iUniverse, 2000. Gangs in Court. Tucson: Lawyers & Judges Pub. Co., 2005. Confessions of a Criminologist: Some of My Best Friends Were Sociopaths. iUniverse, 2010.