Sigh. The key takeaway from this book is that Harlem in the 50s was a super shithole. Teeming with uneducated, superstitious, incompetent parents who had kids that instantly became thieves, junkies and animals. Except for a few.
The secondary takeaway would be: commit all your crimes before you turn 18. That way you can still change your mind about being a criminal.
Tertiary lesson: Fuck white people. And sometimes Jews.
Fun stuff.