The Cross and the Switchblade has been one of those titles that has stuck in my mind since hearing about it,then viewing it in the early seventies.I grew up in a no-gang town in Alaska,so the movie got my interest on that point.However,the reason I remember the story is because of the portrayal of the power of God.This theme is also in the story of Gladys Ayward,missionary to China in the 1930's.That movie is 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'.As with The Cross and the Switchblade,the book provides a deeper story.(search under her name for the biography)I gave five stars simply because it has remained in my mind for so long.I am buying the Cross and the Switchblade for my family.