Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member

I love the book everything I expected and more. I ordered a used like new copy and it still had the new book smell which I personally love.
The book also arrived before its scheduled delivery date, which I was happy about because we were very anxious to read it.

This book outlines the life of the struggle that every young black youth is faced with from the past three generation. A very good read. I would recommend this book to every urban youth in this generations as well as future

Reading his journey has truly enlightened me on this situation that was created over 40 years ago. You begin to understand and relate to his path and why he chose to walk this way at such a young age.

I started this memoir with very high hopes. It started off good, but quickly dwindled after that. After watching several Kody Scott interviews, I found it extremely difficult to believe he actually wrote this book. I also felt he spent far too much time blaming society for his own flaws instead of taking responsibility for his heinous actions. It's easy to point the finger at parents, authorities and the LA Police Department, but what about HIMSELF? The memoir then becomes a pretentious account of gang life in LA. I didn't feel sorry for Kody Scott at any point, which is what I'm sure he wanted from the reader. Not buying it. Sorry.

The calm and unhurried taking of human life is dreadful but you gain a perspective that you would not normally have of gang life and expectations.

Further, there is a glimmer of hope as the author ages and matures - the frightening part of all of it is the generational sequences that are still being followed as far as gang membership is concerned.

Shakur is a strong author with exceptional intellect. It's not surprising that he became so prominent in his gang. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the gang scene in South Central in the '70s and '80s, the California penal system, the psychology of the poor/disenfranchised, or gang culture.

Gives a detailed account into the mind of a young boy trying to find his way. Even though it was written and lived out many years ago, I see the same thing in my job everyday dealing with gangs on the street. The only slow part was when he was in prison and speaking about religion. Other than that, I would read again and again.

This book was chosen for our book club this month. I got hooked from the first page. Some parts I had to go back over, because there's some street language, but Monster Kody has a great way of explaining when necessary.
It scares me that this is a reality in gangs. That your real family barely counts.

Shakur is a strong author with exceptional intellect. It's not surprising that he became so prominent in his gang. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the gang scene in South Central in the '70s and '80s, the California penal system, the psychology of the poor/disenfranchised, or gang culture.

Gives a detailed account into the mind of a young boy trying to find his way. Even though it was written and lived out many years ago, I see the same thing in my job everyday dealing with gangs on the street. The only slow part was when he was in prison and speaking about religion. Other than that, I would read again and again.

This book was chosen for our book club this month. I got hooked from the first page. Some parts I had to go back over, because there's some street language, but Monster Kody has a great way of explaining when necessary.
It scares me that this is a reality in gangs. That your real family barely counts.

Written with great articulation and gang vernacular, you can visualize, in great detail, the incidents and scenes described in this book. It is a page turner from the gritty streets of South Central Los Angeles to the prison cell.

I gave this rating because the book is damaged. If the book wasn't actually readable, I would've given 1 star. Half of the spine is completely torn and smashed. Because of this, the book is partially bent. The first few pages are barely hanging on. I'm not sure if this is the condition it was in before it was shipped, or if it became damaged during shipping. I've had several used books in college, they were never this bad. I guess I'm still thankful I can read it before my report is due.

This book would be a much more interesting read if the author would have just presented his actions without trying to fake his deep moral feelings and such. The stories he relates of his life on the streets are of course interesting, giving you a window into the life of a remorseless serial murderer. He shows very little regret for his actions or sympathy for his victims, about the best he can come up with is that they should not have been there, in his way. He searches through most of the book for someone to blame, obvious targets like white people (americans), cops, the prison system are pointed out, no surprise there. He constantly compares himself and his fellow criminals to the military, attempting to make them seem in some way noble I guess, but it falls flat. He even goes so far as to compare himself (favorably) to the president, when he tattoo's his gang name on his neck, saying the president lacks the conviction to tattoo "republican" or "capitalist" on his own neck. It's silly thoughts like this that lessen the impact of this book, and just make him seem naive, a child in a man's skin.

Overall, some good writing in between a lot of propaganda and excuses. And what is the point of replacing "understand" with "overstand" throughout the book??