Luis J. Rodriguez

Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Introduces his life (autobiography) of how he was involved in gangs at a young age, now he counsels those young people in those same bad steps, to advocate for those kids and create a community where people feel seen and cared for and value their lives.

Lived in the barrio with his family members close by, explained there’s some gang members who lived around and were always watching + people were afraid of them. He helped his uncle out while he was doing mechanic work. The gang member talked to him telling him to join and he thought “I’m glad he wants to be friends and not hurt me” even though he knew that Pee Wees did things that got him in trouble.

Made him sneak out and hang out with the guys at an empty lot, watching another guy get hurt. Then he started to dress differently and girls started respecting him while the teachers were starting to notice and become afraid.

He bought a knife because he was getting “jumped in” the next day and only his cousin knew about it.

“The next night I met Clever, Payaso, and the others at the wall. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there but I didn’t know how to get out of it.”

Her cousin went to stop her and suddenly there were 3 gunshots. Everyone was fine except Dreamer and everyone except Clever left him alone with her bleeding. They heard sirens. After he ran home to not get in trouble.

“I never knew anything like this would happen. It was because of me that she got shot. She was only trying to take care of me.”

“But Tio Rogelio put his arm around me. It doesn’t have to be this way mijo he said. I know you want to be a man, but you have to decide what kind of man you want to be.”

Dreamer lived and he started helping his Tio fixing cars and shared his story to him about how he decided not to join the Pee Wees.
“We can make good things happen, mijo, if we all work together.” -Tio Rogelio… (more)

This memoir, written by Luis J. Rodriguez, tells of his childhood and adolescence growing up in Los Angeles. I had read a specific excerpt multiple times in professional development settings, which detailed Luis's first days in elementary school. He arrived in his class speaking and understanding Spanish and was quickly relegated to sitting at the back of the room playing by himself during class time with little interaction with the teacher. In fact, he was so cut off that he was unable to ask to use the restroom and thus had days that he returned home with soiled clothes. While Rodriguez has said that part of his motivation for writing this was to show his son the dangers of "la vida loca," this memoir is much more than a cautionary tale. Rodriguez documents the systemic racism and oppression he and others in his community experienced. He tells of the resistance and Chicano power movement, including the Chicano Moratorium. This book includes violence, sex (and sexual violence), and drug use. It also includes action, leadership, resilience, and resistance by youth in a community that is systemically oppressed and unsupported. This book spurs thoughtful conversations about racism, oppression, activism, leadership, and social justice.… (more)

A fascinating memoir of growing up in a Latino neighborhood the San Gabriel Valley in the 1960s. With few jobs for teens, schools that channeled the Latino and Filipino students into the trades and the white into college-prep classes, parents that worked a lot--the predictable result was neighborhood gangs, fights, murder, jail time. Rodriguez managed to find his way out, with the encouragement of a few teachers, a few friends, a community center director, and his family's support. He is honest with how it was a battle--his wants versus community expectations, gang expectations, peer and friend pressure, and real danger--his disappointments (in himself and others), his fear, his hope.

1960s San Gabriel Valley is a place/time I know very little about.… (more)