The novel AMONG THE THUGS by Bill Buford is a novel about the sociological concepts of the mob mentality and the anger of youth. Bill Buford follows a firm of young football fans as they travel around the world to follow their team, Manchester United. He witnesses their crimes as well as participates in their horrific acts and finds himself enticed to violence and fascinated by crowd violence. However, in the end, he realizes the youths are simply members of the same bored working class that has always existed, and that their violence is extreme only because they have no real societal ties.

Buford begins his journey by introducing himself to members of the Manchester United firm, where he meets Mick, who teaches him much about football as well as firms in general. He finds himself swept along with the firm as they travel to Italy and writes of his experiences as part of a mob that destroys much of a city. Throughout his journey, he learns about the causes for football violence as well as what it means to be a member of a firm. He details the feelings and emotions involved in become part of a crowd and shows readers why violence in crowds is such an integral part of society. In addition, he debunks many of the myths about football supporters but investigates where such myths arise. He examines the skinhead culture of football supporters, the illegal activities of many leaders, and the ties that bind these individuals together. He meets and discusses several supporters and examines how those supporters fit in with national stereotypes of "hooligan" football youths. Although he understands the violence, in the end he finds himself appalled and disgusted by the behaviors of these young men and determines they are simply members of what used to be the working class who are bored and seeking some form of entertainment that makes them feel alive and as though they belong to a group. While an interesting look at the violence among football supporters of England, this book is, at heart, an examination of what occurs during crowd violence and how such violence erupts to destroy and kill anything in its path.