Imagine growing up during the 60's/70's in the gang days of L.A, constantly getting harassed by police, rival gangs and living with the temptations of drugs and money. This is how the author/poet Luis Rodriguez grew up, and in order to convince his son, Ramiro, not to get involved with this life, he wrote "Always Running"-A collection of memories from his life that can inspire any person of any culture. Rodriguez’s use of imagery and sensory detail perfectly depict the temptations of “La vida loca”-the crazy life. He describes the days before, during and after he was in a gang. He gives us examples of what happened to most of his friends, like Wilo getting run over by rival gang members, even after he moved away, to show us how lucky he was to make it out alive.Luis Rodriguez came with his family from Mexico to the U.S. His father was a professor, who had to run from the government. When Luis got here his brother would torment him constantly, until they got beat up by white kids, from then on, they knew what they were fighting against. Luis started a gang early on, in middle school, and although he stopped that gang rather quickly, he soon joined another, Las Lomas. Sangra was their rival gang, and even while he was involved in a gang, doing drugs and getting in fights, he joined club called M.E.Ch.A, and fought for the equality of his fellow Mexican students, through a series of demonstrations, rallies and speeches. After high school, he was in college for just a while, and he was working on a book for a big publishing company, when he saw a Latina woman, who was obviously drunk, being harassed by the police, so, he intervened and was given false charges. He fought the charges and ended up only paying a fine, and continued on with his life, to get married and have children. Just when he thought he was done with this life, a member of another gang, who threatened to kill him. Luis stayed cool, and told the man to move on with his life, just as he did.Luis Rodriguez stood up for what he believed in, showing courage and loyalty. He was involved in two different worlds that affected the same kinds of people. Most of what he did in school was for the benefit of Latinos going to school and getting unfair treatment as far as course selection. While most other kids would just take what was given to them and continue to let the Latinos be treated unfairly, Luis stood up against what they were doing and convinced his fellow students to make change.There are many deifferent themes to this story. Although it was written as a precautionary tale against gangs, it also tells people to be unique and stand up for what they believe in. By including the part where he gave a speech about equality between white and Latino students, he shows hos necessary it is to be courageous and speak your mind. However, he also tells us how dangerous it could be, by telling about when he tried to convince his gang leader that violence was not the answer, and that Sangra was not the enemy, right before they were going to Sangra turf to kill them all.This book was inspiring for me and for most people who have read it. Luis focuses on the Latino struggle and by giving us examples of what he did, tells us what we can do. Today, a lot has been done for Latinos to get the equality we have been fighting for, but were no quite there. Even people of other ethnicities can relate. The author used amazing sensory detail throughout the entire book that kept me reading, and almost made me feel like I had been through the same things.
Who said that Gangsters didn’t have a intellectual side to them?... Well Luis Rodriquez proves that anyone can write. Rodriguez exposes his gangster “Vida loca”,in his Memoir Always Running. In this memoir he tells a multiple series of stories from when he was born to the time his family ended up migrating in Los Angeles California. He speaks openly about his family struggle in poverty. He explains the meaning of gang nicknames. He exposes, gang life in a way not yet seen. Luis explains how living in the Watts and the Las Lomas barrio, very much influenced him in joining a gang at the age of twelve. He explains how living in LA it makes it seem so natural to join a gang at a very young age. He joins the gang and began living the "Vida loca" (crazy life). Where he spends most of his adolescence committing crimes with his crew. For example he gives in detail how they “put in work”. He tells us how his friends and him would steal from liquor stores and trailer trucks. But overall he remembers about how his crew became somewhat close to family. He tells stories about how they would call go on some kind of adventure. One he speaks about for example, the crew and him went to steal a local liquor store and how all of the four crew member except the one who was in the car got something very slick, and got in the car. But one crew member in particular Clavo got spotted by the sales clerk and got chased out the store. And in the moment of impulse he couldn't find the car!... As Luis grew up and matured he realized that gang life wasn’t going to take him anywhere but either to the slammers, or deep six feet under. He got kicked out of his house but was allowed to live in his garage, there is where he find his passion of writing using a typewriter.. He begins writing poems and about his life. This talent was is recognized by his teacher that one day visits to his garage and sees his writing. He tries to get other gang members to see his way. But then they refuse. But he makes a effort to make peace with a rival gang. Luis Rodriguez also exposes how police at the time would try to provoke the two gangs to get them to fight against one another. This doesn’t hold Luis back he continuities to try to find a way out of this lifestyle. And he does. In his epilogue Luis explains why he wrote this book. He wrote this book for his son, trying to show him that gang life is not good. He dedicated his book to 28 people. Some whom where gangsters and that were killed. The message I got from this memoir is that,no matter how far gone you feel from the right path in life you can always find it just by doing the write path. And by not letting others influence you to a wrong way.
What do You think about Always Running (2005)?
Title / Author / Publication Date: Always Running/Luis J. Rodriguez/2005Genre: Non-FictionFormat: PaperbackPlot summary: This book deals with a lot of heavy issues but like A Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos, the violence in not added for a gratuitous punch. The stories Luis Rodriguez tells are meant to serve as cautionary tales of becoming involved in gangs and ultimately, how removing yourself from dangerous situations and risky lifestyles can be rewarding. In Always Running, Luis Rodriguez began to relate the futility of his life in Los Angeles as a gang member; now at 30 years of age, realizing his son is following the same way of life in Chicago, finishes his life story as a legacy to his son.Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: Gang violence - beating people up, robberies, guns; Rape; Drugs; Sex; SuicideReview citation: Always Running. (Book Review). Kirkus Reviews. (December 15, 1992).Section source used to find the material: Novelist Plus, Monroe County Public Library Recommended age: 14 and up
—Ardea Smith
This is an interesting enough book, and I understand why the writer is a respected Chicano poet, but it is still so rough and some of the prose bothered me to apoint of real frustration. ("It was the last time I saw them again." No. It's either the last time or you never saw them again, but not both. "Blood leisurely flowed on the napkin." What? Bad writing.)I actually live in East LA, and also lived here in the early 80s. It was said then, "If people were killing dogs in that area at the same rate young men are killing each other, it would have been cleaned up long ago." It was a terrible, terrible situation. I still don't really understand WHY these kids felt that gang violence was okay, or their only hope. I don't understand why their parents thought this was a better life for their kids than in Mexico. I don't understand why Luis chose to be a leader for treating Mexicans well in school, and then kept up with his gang activities out of school, and had such a disconnect as to why Mexicans were disrespected and feared.I asked my 15 year old neighbor if it is still possible or likely that a gang leader would be on Student Council in high school. She said "yes."This was a view of the life, but not an explanation of it. A memoir, but with no insight or wisdom offered from the perspective of an older man who now understands his younger self. I suppose at the time it was remarkable to have a gangster like art and poetry and write a book. But I feel no more enlightened as to why the gang life got to him than before I read the book.
—Tl Wagener
I found out about this book during my time working at Garfield. There were a lot of books in the classroom libraries about gang life, books of poetry by Tupac Shakur, stuff the students prefered as it had to do with, "you know, real life." Which was, in a way, bullshit. I mean, a few of them, maybe could relate to that, and the ones that could were sorry of the fact and didn't flaunt it. One kid I remember, his older brother had been killed in a gang-related shooting. He wasn't a particularly good student, this kid, but he was always there and he was always respectful; he knew it would kill his mother if he didn't at least get through high school.Anyway, I read a lot of these books, and out of all of them, this one was far and away the best. It was the students' favorite as well. And for good reason: it's a compelling story, the writing is beautiful, the characters are complex -- that is, "real" -- and the preaching is kept to a minimum. Rodriguez speaks from his own experience, acknowleding his own mistakes without exactly apologizing for them. In general, there's not a whole lot of editorializing, the author simply describes the events as he remembers them. While you could look at Always Running as street-journalism, I think that's really selling it short; the book is filled with characters you actually care about, and that, for any writer, is no easy trick.
—Matt Eckel
