Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.

This was a great book, there was so many inspirational quotes. The author doesn't deny anyone what he is truly feeling. HE spits his words out and you catch them with eagerness to learn what happeneds next.

Author spends too much time talking about himself is such a way that the book really doesn't address in depth how harmful his choices were and what youths facing the same or similar dilemas are to do to come out of this subculture in one piece.

I suppose one of the editorial reviews summed it up nicely.

"...Mexican funerals, rapes and arrests, but his writing style renders much of that rich material forgettable."

Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

I was very much interested in the topic, yet the rambling, writing style of Luis Rodriguez

made for a disappointing experience.

The problem is that it was difficult for people who are not familiar with Mexican culture and spanish quets which he used in the book. Otherwise, the author really got the reader involved with the story because he used really descriptive anecdotes.

Rodriguez is a sensitive observer with a poetic flair that brings to life his coming of age in the Latino ghettos of Los Angeles in the 1960s and early 1970s. The marginalization of Latinos at times becomes as outright war as police beat the youths and create long records with harassing arrests. In this context, the gravitation toward the safety and camaraderie provided by youth gangs is understandable. Rodriguez confesses to some violent actions, which are understandable in the context of the narrative but which, perhaps, are not sufficiently atoned for.

The book has some rather good erotic passages, though the sex strikes me as a bit gratuitous -- and as perhaps an invasion of the privacy of his sexual partners.

Rodriguez at times seems a bit full of himself, yet he is quite likeable and admirable in his struggle for the righteous cause of justice for Latinos. And he is clearly a charismatic leader.

There is some very good writing here. He has a striking ability to convey the emotional hopelessness of his predicaments.

This was an absolute fantastic book to read. I've never really fully understood all the race and gang violence/wars that are in LA mostly because news wise it's horribly biased and skewed towards white people always being the heroes.

It was very refreshing to read someone's first hand account of what they personally lived through that's not through the seemingly rose coloured glasses of white saviourism. And it was honestly painful to read. For multiple reasons. Mostly because it really caused me to stop and think about how I currently and in the past have treated other races and the ignorance I have towards members of other races. And caused me to seriously look at America and how we skew history in favour of us white people.

Read the full review here: https://blowpopsbooks.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/review-always-running-la-vida-loca-gang-days-in-l-a/

I picked up ALWAYS RUNNING with the express interest of learning more about the gang experience and why people are so drawn to them. I came away disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I found the book compelling, despite flaws that siphon off its emotional potential. But most of my questions were not answered.

On a pure technical standpoint, the choice of choppy style and timeline detracts from what the author is trying to accomplish. A linear structure would have served to better deliver a picture of mistake, change, learning, and growing wiser with age and experience. Many of the book's vignettes are hard to grasp because they occur without context. You never know when they are happening, how old the author is at that time, whether pivotal events have already occurred or not yet. All this makes keeping a coherent understanding of the main character himself an impossibility and without that, emotional investiture in the book's voice is far less strong than it could be, than it definitely should be.

I wanted to be more emotionally involved in the story. The author's experiences are very rooted in the social conflicts of the 60's and early 70's and this is a time period I know little about, so I have little to draw on. Perhaps this is also why the political overtones stood out from the background of the story and further alienated me from the book's voice.

Finally, there is the liberal integration of Spanish words, phrases, and slang throughout the story. No immediate translation is given in the text, though there is glossary in the back of the book with a long list of words and phrases that I didn't discover until after I had finished. This does pose an issue for those readers who have no Spanish.

For these reasons and more, the book fell far short as far as sociological commentary, historical autobiography, and even basic emotional inspiration are concerned.

So why do I still feel its an important book to read, despite the 3 stars? First, I never doubted the truth embedded within the words. Truth in storytelling resonates like nothing else and gives the book much of its power. Second, cultural disorientation should never be a reason to avoid immersion. I appreciate the value of the slice of life the author gives, of what it was to be Mexican, poor, and marginalized by the dominant culture after the the second world war. And third, as a jumping off point, the book drops plenty of names and, if you are like me, should inspire you to learn more. There is much of value here, even if the emotional impact of the story doesn't catch you up.

One final gripe. What hooked me with such ferocity at the beginning, in the preface, was the poignant angst of a father watching his son make the same mistakes, sliding into the inevitability of gang affiliation. He wrote the book in an effort to get through to his son, perhaps because like his own father, Rodriguez worries that he is "a man of few words." My own father went through a similar experience with my older brother, though drugs were a greater concern than gangs at the time. I had a personl reason for wanting the book to grab me and shake out some knowledge. So when it failed to bring this thread to fruition, failed to really focus on fathers and sons or even a good pairing of the author's mistakes and consequences in hindsight, (save for a brief moment in the epilogue) the book became that much more of a disappointment to me. Especially upsetting was the untold fate of the only father and son pairing in the book apart from the author's: what happened to Chicharron and Junior?

This book opened my eyes to the realities that some face in day to day life. It displays how engaging in gang activity(or any crime in general) can lead you down a path that makes you unsatisfied with yourself. The title of the book itself shows that the premise of the book that Chin was always running away from reality and looking for an escape. The chapter that included the fair scene was especially astonishing to me based off purely the sounds that Rodriguez described. It created the sense of fear for the reader that Chin was feeling without explicitly saying it; but that is what made the message extremely powerful. I also really liked his use of the colloquial in the story because it enveloped the reader in the culture of gang life. To add on, not explaining the definition of the slang word in the context made surrounded the reader even more into the culture. However it was nice that there was a dictionary in the back of the book that clarified the meaning of the word.
I'm not going to lye and say that this book wasn't emotional for me. There were moments when I would have to stop reading just to digest what was going on. However, I do believe the premise behind the book is extremely important to understand, and that is the fact that the easy way is not always the best way. In the beginning, gang life was described as easy; you get beat up a little for initiation, but then you have protection. Later, Chin experiences friends getting beat up, going to prison, and even dying and realizes that it's not worth it. The preface stresses the idea that gang involvement is hard, but from a different perspective. Rodriguez shares paternal-like wisdom with the reader through his son, who is getting in with the wrong crowds. Even though we don't see the specific reasons Rodriguez chases his son outside to the harsh winter of Chicago, we can infer that Rodriguez knows what his son is getting himself into. This sets up the book by making really nice because it entices you to find out what happened to the father. Overall, I really liked that this book showed me insight into the gang culture. But for me, it was a difficult, but necessary topic to understand and it exposed me to a real world problem that is urgent and needs a fix.

This book sucks! The writer must have been using drugs while he was writing this... The structuring and flow in this is extremely poor and his use of explicit wording to convey is so over the top... Luis J. Rodriguez SUCKS!

Rodriguez' book is one of the most impressive contemporary American novels I've read. He doesn't gloss over the acts of violence he participated in, but he does provide a framework for those terrible experiences that make his involvement in the LA gang scene almost inevitable. However, I was amazed that throughout the book, he never excuses himself or tries to romanticize his life. Instead, through a realist but still very readable style, Rodriguez shows that young men can change, that people without resources can make BIG differences in their communities, and that we only really see one side of the ongoing battle between the authority system and the street folk through most media. Rodriguez' story is esp. powerful b/c it's true. He lived through all this, and yet he was able not only to survive, but he inspired so many other young people from his neighborhood, and made countless positive changes in his local high school. Rodriguez sets an incredible example for young readers, giving lost kids hope, showing the public how much more can be done to fix all the injustice, and all the while giving voice to a remarkable and memorable story. I've taught this book in college writing courses, and the students (many of whom had not read a novel b/4 this) responded as enthusiastically as any students I've seen with any material. it's worth reading, and it's worth teaching. It was definitely worth writing, and I thank Luis Rodriguez for taking the time to do so!

As the author or [...], which Luis J. Rodriguez called, "Moving and meaningful" I know what courage it takes to write about something so heart-wrenching. Don't buy this book, Always Running, at all unless you're ready to face the truth about what's happening right now in our own neighborhoods. Luis wrote this book about gangs, rape, violence and racism but he also writes about loyalty, friendship, love and ones desire to fit in no matter what the costs. Many people hide their pasts, they're afraid to show people where they come from but Luis doesn't do this at all. He witnessed murders, and police brutality, never knowing if that day will be his last. He peels back the curtain and shows you a glimpse into a life that he wasn't always proud of but embraces was part of his DNA.

This story starts when he's about 12-years-old a very impressionable time and it takes you through her personal journey to become a better man and his own challenges to keep his son out of gangs. What I loved about the book is how truthful it is. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles like to pretend that they were perfect little angels growing up and then no one can relate to them at all. That's what our young people need to hear, that adults were humans too, they made mistakes and not in a lecturing way but a real way that is not patronizing.

You don't have to be Chicano in order to relate to this story. Nor do you have had to have grown up in the barrio. Never be ashamed of where you came from, every day is always a new opportunity to turn your life around as Luis shows in Always Running. I have had the privilege to speak with Luis on the phone and interview him and he is one of the most generous, amazing authors ever. I highly recommend this book but don't buy it unless you're willing to visit the ugly side of humanity.

Always Running is a touching and often horrifying first-hand account of la vida loca in the hills of South San Gabriel, L.A. Luis Rodriguez illustrates the incompetence of families and academics for the barrio youth. He explains clearly and eloquently the void left and subsequently filled by gangs drugs and violence. Rodriguez gives the outside world an intimate look at the allure of the gang. Each anecdote is entertaining and engaging. He has written an easy-to-read gripping memoir which serves also as social and political commentary.
Rodriguez learned after years of prison stints, murder, and frustration, that the gang is a dead-end. Unfortunately, it took losing a great deal of friends. Rodriguez adds an articulate and unusual book to a genre that often is too predictable. Always Running is not only relevant to Chicanos of East Los Angeles, but also serves as a criticism of racial inequalities, and social alienation existing across the United States. This book is an excellent book that all socially conscious and frustrated Americans should read.

Yes, there are lengthy passages detailing gang and street life, but the real purpose of this narrative is to detail how the author grew from an impoverished, drug-addicted, violent youth into a thoughtful, productive adult. More importantly, an adult whose race and culture became a source of grounding and strength, rather than a source of shame or anger.

A very, very well written autobiography and intimate look at the evolution of one man's intellect and morality.

Poetry is a means of focusing on moments that are drawn from extended experiences to form a brief, concise, immediately communicable feeling. Few achieve this as well as Luis J. Rodriguez, an East Los Angeles poet, novelist, and Chicano activist. Rodriguez has gained his powerful language from his childhood in the barrios of Los Angeles, a twenty-eight year prison sentence for three counts of attempted murder, time spent in the inner city of Chicago, a Navajo Reservation, and then back to East Los Angeles. His life has been one of gangbanger, drug abuse, theft, stabbings, shootings, homelessness, and near-death experiences from drug overdose. He has earned his scars: he wants to share them in hopes they will lead him back to a man who demands respect.

Rodriquez' language is harsh, brutal, intentionally ugly, and in the end, pitiful. Yet it is in this particular combination that allows his poems to find their combustible energy. They show his life's journey from victim to perpetrator to witness to revolutionary. And at the basis of his work is now the palpably virulent need to reach his son in an attempt to prevent a repetition of his own 'la vida loca'.

Rodriguez is not easy to read but his poems are essential to understand the particular peripheral life that borders our cities. And for this reader he captures the power of Dante's Inferno in a language that is crucially immediate and ultimately human. He has earned out attention and we are the better for his poetry. Grady Harp, November 05

Book Review
Always Running
By: Luis Rodriguez
Reviewed by: Erick Villalvazo
Have you ever thought about being in a gang? Well, in the book "Always Running" it tells how life in a gang can be so dangerous. When Luis came to the United States he was an immigrant and he had trouble finding friends. He was so desperate and lonely that he made friends with teens in the Lomas gang. Later on he got jumped into the Lomas gang and after so many fights, shootings and trouble he wanted to get out of the gang but his friends wouldn't let him.

When Luis was thirteen he was already in a gang. In school Luis was involved in many fights. He was suspended from school many times and was expelled once. He was also involved in many shootings. Many of his friends died in drive-by shootings from rival gang members.
By being in the gang Luis was in trouble all the time. He was in jail many times. His mom was tired of visiting him in jail. His mom tried to help him by talking to him but he just wouldn't listen. Nobody could change his mind.

When Luis was seventeen he began to think about the future. That's when he realized that being in the gang wouldn't have no future for him. Then he decided to get out of the gang. He didn't hang out with his friends anymore and decided to change for good.

The life lesson of this book is not to join a gang. It only gives you trouble and you might get killed or end up in jail. If you are thinking about joining a gang I think you should read this book first so that you learn what can happen to you if you join one. Think about it twice before you join a gang.

So much has been written about this powerful, truthful and inspiring memoir by Luis J. Rodriguez that I doubt that I could offer anything to add to the book's understanding and appreciation. But of all the professional reviews, the most telling critiques come from the high school students and teachers some of which are printed in the first two pages of the most recent edition of "Always Running." One student, Johnny Mendez, offers the chilling but hope-filled words: "History repeats itself and we must make some changes." These words are chilling because Rodriguez writes of events from the 60s and 70s yet a high school student of today sees the same despair, neglect and fear that existed a generation earlier. The hope we see is in the high school student's resolve: "[W]e must make some changes." Rodriguez has just opened a bookstore in Sylmar, California, named after his wonderful and misunderstood aunt, Tia Chucha, where he hopes to reach out to Latino youth to help them find a path towards full and productive lives. The fight continues. And this book still speaks the truth, eloquently and to all.

My favorite book was Always Running. It was a very interesting book because it talks about reality. In this book they talk about gangs and influences. The young man in the book is involved in a gang and they smoke, fight, drink and get into trouble. This reminds me of real life. Everyday i see at least one person getting in trouble and smoking. The reason why i think people do these things is because they are trying to be like others and fit in with them. They are so unsure of themeselves. Their not confident, they thik that by being like others they would be accepted by others.

<dd>In the book it also talks about the father who was a principal and was then some type of lawyer who fell in love with his secretary who he then married and became the mother of his other kids. He had been married already. Now a days there are couples who meet in many different ways and who have a big age difference. Its like nothing to see a 25 year old man with a 17 year old girl. The tough part is when the police find out, they can get arrested (the older one).

<dd>The way that the kids in this boo are throwin their live's away makes me think! Why do they do this? What are they going to get out of it? maybe like I mentioned before they want to fit in with the others, but why? there has to be more reasons. They are probably running away from other problems. For example maybe they have problems with their parents or brothers. Maybe they dont have parents, They might not have anyone to talk to or to turn to but the ones who are using those nasty things. They might feel like they can relate to them and feel loved.

<dd>Its hard being a teenger, there is a lot of pressure. The thing that i want everyone to know is that they have to be leaders not followers. Then again it might be easy to say but it might not be easy to do.

<dd>Anyways my point is that this book was really good and it made me think a lot about life. It made me see the problems of others. It made me wanna get to know everyone better and give them advice.

When I opened 'Always Running' for the first time, something deep inside me snapped and I couldn't ignore recalling the memories of my long past days in East Los Angeles. --IT READ LIKE POETRY-- The memories sang out with laughter and tears; with heartache and celebration. It was as if someone else was there along with me, sharing the same experience. Suddenly, I wasn't alone. Not anymore. I pondered the idea that someone had stolen snapshots of my life. From high school moments at Garfield to running thru shadowed streets in White Fense territory that tempted only a fool to venture down. I experienced that life! That dark tragedy of twisted fate! Luis, you have helped me to bridge a gap between the past I desparetely wanted to forget. Ashamed, and always running from. But now, I can look back and embrace it for what it was; how it was and how I (we) survived. So that today, I can reflect upon that tragic time with strength and foster a different interpretation and understanding about life to my mis ninos. The lessons from the past hardened the soul, but provided the courage and determination to make a difference in my life. If your readers were products of the 60's or 70's, and remember rioting down Whittier Blvd. in East L. A. or perhaps inspired by Edward James Olmos in Zoot-Zoot, then they'll geniunely shed a tear or two at every turned page from this dramatic tale. Healthy reading! Muchas gracias, hermano!!!

"Always Running" is an autobiography about Luis Rodriguez's life in Los Angeles. The book starts out when Rodriguez's family migrates to the U.S. from Mexico. Luis's father was a licensed teacher in Mexico, but due to the lack of job opportunities the family had to go to the U.S. in search of a better life. The story gets really interesting when it talks about Luis's childhood. When Luis started elementary school, he was an outcast because he did not know English fluently. That is when Luis started to hate school. It didn't get any better in middle school, because that's when he started getting involved with gangs. After Luis finally got out of middle school, he started high school. In high school Luis dropped out after his sophomore year. After many trials and tribulations, Luis finds out that the gang life isn't the life for him. When Luis was about seventeen years old he decided that he needed to graduate high school, so he went back. While at school Luis had got involved with a Chicano group that organized a walkout due to the fact that the school had no Chicano history classes and teachers. Through these positive acts, Luis turns his life around and realized that the streets aren't anything but trouble.
This book is a very entertaining read; it goes by really fast and smoothly. Rodriguez tells his life story in a manner that reads like an action story. The best part of the book has to be the use of slang and terminology; they give readers and authentic feel, unlike a lot of other authors who often try but fail. People who aren't familiar with the Hispanic culture and the gang lifestyle will probably feel confused at first, but by the time they are into a couple of chapters they will grasp what is trying to be said.

On the Strength: If Rodriguez's memoir Always Running sounds raw and intense, that's because it is. A lucid, in your face account of a young man's journey from the darkest depths of barrio life-to a yearning soul, striving for the light that glimmers at the end of a tunnel. Chin (Rodriguez) a young vato loco from the mean streets of Los Angeles Califas, would do just about anything for his click, even commit murder. Living foul was all he knew, castigated by society, the revolving door from the hood' to correctional institutions swirled so fast and frequent it left young Chin feeling bitter and more hateful toward authority, and rival gangs. Drugs and violence would be his refuge-but eventually education and community involvement would become his salvation. Rodriguez delivers a compelling look at gang life, and what it takes to break free from its deadly shackles. What makes this book particularly appealing is the unique poetic voice, which combines English and Spanish, and a whole-lot-of Slanglish (no comprende? Don't trip, there's a phat glossary in the back of the book for those who do not understand the Latin lingo that is spread throughout). Rodriguez also takes you for a lyrical cruise through the Boulevard, "Fancy "shorts" danced on the asphalt with only the eyes and beany caps of the drivers visible through the windshield. Music blared out of a multitude of speakers as a river of headlights streamed toward the silhouette of downtown skyscrapers and back." Reality TV ain't got nothing on this! Always Running is a must read. Very highly recommended. -Michael Perry, OLM Entertainment Watch.

I enjoyed this book throughly. I thought it was a great story of how those who are pushed to live impoverished lives and make certain decisions about their life. I could relate emensly to this book, except for the gangs, and being spanish. I know what it is like to be pushed into the streets and see these vivid images others only dream about. When I read this book, I felt like I was right there in the life of Luis J. Rodriguez. I think this is abrilliabnt story that any teen lining thier vida loca, then they need to check this book out!

Always running is the powerful, vivid, and brutal autobiography of Luis J. Rodriguez. In his book he talks about the hardships he faced growing up as adolescent in the mid 1950's and 60's, which includes migrating to a new and foreign land (Mexico to the U.S.), gang life, losing loved ones to senseless acts of violence, and eventually breaking free from it all. Although I wasn't too interested in the book at first, it actually ended up touching me quite deeply. First of all I think Luis Rodriguez chose a great title for this book. Sometimes in life when you're scared or afraid you feel like all you can do is run. The problem with running is that once you begin it becomes a habit, and is very hard to break; and therefore you are "Always Running". Secondly, I begin to see how difficult we, as Americans, make it very difficult for immigrants to 'make it' once they get out here. People come here to the U.S. to provide better a better life for their families, and we make it almost impossible. We put their kids in special education classes, or put them a year behind simply because they don't speak english properly. Or we make them take second-hand jobs for the same reasons. We shouldn't be discouraging them but encouraging them, and admiring their courage for being able to leave their homes and come here in hope for a new and brighter future. Third, sadly society doesn't do much to lead our youth astay from gangs and doing wrong. We make false accusations against our youth and treat them like criminals even when they're not (The cops chasing him and his friend Tino because they were playing basketball at the schoolyard). Sometimes, kids think to themselves "Well, if all people see me as is a thug, when I'm not, then maybe I might as well become one--at least this way now they'll be right!" We have to help out our childreen. We have to nurture our children. Not just as parents, but as a community. We need to do like the Africans. They believe it takes a whole entire village to raise a child, and I believe so too. Finally, being that he was able to come out of that lifestyle, shows others that it's not impossible to do. Sometimes, all we need is an example of someone making it to give us renewed hope and faith; and hopefully people will begin to use this book as inspiration to do right and turn from wrong and eventually stop running!

"Always Running' is a stoy about more than simply the gang life in East Los Angeles: it is also a story of overcoming challenges and education.As Ramiro was growing up in East Los Angeles it' was a time when he was overcoming challenges he had done during his teenage years. Grow up in East Los Angeles it was tough. Most of Ramiro time he would spent in the street causing trouble. Ramiro would be expelled from school again and again over several high schools in the Los Angeles area. He would look for trouble in school and then he would be a big bully in class. Then out side of class he started to get rivary against white people. He was tired of American people being better than Mexicans. He fought some white people and then got expelled from school. Ramiro most important thing in life had been lost that anyone wanted him anymore at any school because he was bad for society. In the streets he would get in a fight and then he would run from the cops.Drugs was something that Ramiro would always do. He loved to be high and be kicking it with his homeboys in the streets of Los Angeles. As he was high he would do some adventerous experience like getting in trouble with other gangsters.I think that Ramiro was a bad kid because he needed attention at home from hisloved one like his parents because he didn't get attention at home he would end up in the streets with the homeboys causing trouble. He would go to other high schools In Los Angeles and say he was a new student because he wanted to meet new girls.He loved to meet girls it was his priority Ramiro always was sad because he was tired of living in the poverty line. He was tire of living in the ghetto area of East Los Angeles. There was nothing great to do because without an education Ramiro was going to live in the ghetto area for therest of his life. Now, Ramiro is twenty six years old and he went back to school. He is a poet and travel around the U.S to talk about his life. Recently he was in Chicago poetry event center where more than two thousand people attended. Now, Ramiro has a bright future his first book `Always Running" was a success so after all he won't be living in the poverty line after all.

What I found really interesting about this book is that its author is actually the main character of the story, so that makes this memoir more real and specific than any other book. For example, he writes about how he struggled in life, and how he got involved with gangs, drugs, going to jail, and actually getting to the point were he just didn't want to live. He was raised in the streets of East L.A, after moving there from Mexico. I can relate so much to this book as a Mexican. I struggled to move here to start a better life too, that's something that we have in common, it's because of that it got my attention and I chose to keep on reading this book. When Luis goes through being involved with gangs he saw a lot of things. He saw a lot of his friends getting shot and killed, he saw friends get addicted to heroine and some even overdose. He mentions in the book that while attending a funeral that he couldn't wait to die to have a funeral like his friends seemed like an honor to have everyone crying for you and being sad and he would wish for one exactly like it. The reason I not only loved this book, but admired it, is because I have gone through most of everything Luis went through. From crossing the border at a super young age, to suffering poverty, to struggling at school and home, and not knowing when to stop using drugs. The thing that I related to the most was the emotions inside him while using drugs and wanting to loose his life. I related a lot because I myself was addicted to a drug and didn't care about life. It blew me away, because he used his emotions of living life using and doing what he did described my thoughts. He wrote, "Is this how I really want to go in life? Do I really want to leave knowing I didn't try and just gave up if I die, I want to leave knowing I tried and achieved something worth it, I'm too young to think of death or have a bad habit." On a school trip, my class from Opportunities for Learning went to meat Luis, the author and told me those words in person. Which meant more to me and I respect and admire him for taking his time to share his life in this book. Reading the book made me want to achieve more than I have begun.