The Warriors is a novel written by Sol Yurick and illustrated by Frank Modell in 1965. In 1979, it was adapted into the film of the same name. Compared to the film, the novel takes a closer look at the concepts of sexuality, reputation, family, and survival.
Plot summary
The novel begins with a quote from Xenophon's Anabasis (upon which the novel is based). Throughout the novel, the character Junior reads a comic book version of the story.
It is the evening of July 4. Ismael Rivera, leader of the Delancey Thrones, the largest gang in New York City, calls a grand assembly of street gangs to the Bronx. Gangs from all over the city, signaled by a Beatles song on the radio, head to the meeting place at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. As per instructions, none of them carries weapons, except for a handgun – a peace offering to Ismael.
Among the gangs are the Coney Island Dominators, an African American/Hispanic gang who are the central characters of the novel. The Dominators are Papa Arnold, the leader, Hector the second-in-command, Lunkface the strongest and most dangerous member, Bimbo the advisor, Hinton the gang's artist and central character of the novel who is the second youngest, Dewey the most level-headed member of the gang and The Junior the youngest of the group as well as the gang's mascot.
At the meeting, Ismael announces his plan, with other Thrones relaying the message to the ones in back who cannot hear. He proposes a grand truce designed to challenge "The Man" (society, otherwise called "The Others"). After a stirring speech, the assembly dissolves into chaos as several dissident gangs begin fighting. When the police arrive, having been tipped off about a big "rumble", many gangs, believing Ismael has set them up, turn their peace-offering handgun on Ismael, killing him.
When Arnold disappears amidst the rage of Ismael's gang members, it is up to Hector, the new leader of the Coney Island Dominators, to lead the remaining delegates from the Bronx back to Coney Island, passing through enemy-ridden gang turfs. When Hinton suggests removing their gang insignia – Mercedes symbols stolen off cars and converted into stick-pins from shop class at school which the gang wears on their hats – he is severely chastised. As Hinton is more familiar with the neighborhood, having lived there before, he is given the task of leading the gang out of Woodlawn Cemetery, where they have escaped the cops in the chaos.
The gang decides to call Wallie, the youth board worker assigned to their case, to come and drive them home. While waiting for him to arrive, the gang gets restless and jumps the subway. After a while, the train is stopped due to track work and the gang must take a different route.
En route to the other subway station, the gang encounters the Borinquen Blazers, a Puerto Rican gang. Hector meets the leader to parley (negotiate) for safe passage and all goes well until a girl, one of the Blazers' debs (girlfriends), desires one of the Dominators' insignia pins. When they refuse, the girl chastises the Blazers' leader, challenging his manhood. The leader then demands that the Dominators remove their pins in exchange for safe passage. Things escalate into an argument with the Dominators heading off to their destination and the Blazers not retaliating because their reinforcements have not arrived. Angry, Hector riles up the gang into a violent mood, deciding to spite the Blazers by going through their turf as a "war party" – an act performed by a gang ritual of changing the positions of the cigarettes in their hat brims.
The Dominators realize they're being tailed by the deb and a scout from the Blazers. They ambush them, taking away the scout's switchblade, then chasing him off. Lunkface convinces the girl to stick around on the promise of a pin and a rank (of "sister") in the gang. The Dominators then encounter an individual and start a fight, the girl cheering them on while they take turns stabbing the man with the stolen blade. The Dominators turn on the girl and gang-rape her, abandoning her in the street as they rush off to the subway.