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. ( )

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. ( )

I took special note of a single sentence in the Prologue and pretty much the entire Epilogue. Everything in between, I could have done without—they are graphic. [We could have greater discussion on the point of this, but not right now.]

The parts I mention expose inequity and lack of social justice. The rest was a brutal account of the author's life, which is, after all, what one expects in a memoir. I'm not into memoirs, typically, and it wasn't why I was interested in this book. ( )

This is a brutal depiction of life in the barrios of Los Angeles. Luis Rodriguez managed to pull himself up out of the mess of poverty and get away from gangs and drugs into which he was so deep that he barely escaped death more than once. Several adults saw a spark in him and went out of their way to support and encourage his artistic and literary talents. He wrote this book for his son in the hope that he would find a different path than his father.

Students in my school have made this one of our most popular books. I am finally getting around to reading it. While conscious of the violent life of gangs, I had no idea that so much could be inflicted on one person before they even reach adulthood. It was a real eye opener. ( )

It's graphic and it's intense, but it's effective in portraying the reality of L.A. cholo gang life in the 1960s. One concern is that the author appears unaware of his own sexism, but overall it's a well-written, moving piece.

I first heard of this book from a friend of mine who doesn't actually like to read. In fact his whole attitude towards the subject is unsettling to me who in fact loves to read. But this was the book, he said, that intrigued him and also the first book he liked and finished to the end while enjoying. Now as a person pursuing to be a middle school teacher I had to find out what book this was that gripped my friend and managed to keep him there through those pages. What I found was a gem of a book that does in fact captivate readers and and non-readers alike. That rare book that can get anyone into liking the written word. What I read was such an important story of violence, racism, gangs, and so many other issues that grips this nation and young people as well. I would like for every young person to read this and figure out what drives them to gangs, doge it, and find the value in determination and taking your own education into your own hands. It's a story of rising above and deciding what you will and won't be in this life. A must read for people everywhere. ( )

I first came across this book in ninth grade - a teacher had recommended it tot he entire class, but it wasn’t required reading. I didn’t read it until my third year in college because my friend recommended it to me. This book is a compelling memoir of growing up in San Gabriel, California in the 70’s and the 80’s surrounded by gang violence. Rodriguez was from a family of Mexican immigrants that moved to the U.S. when he was in elementary school. After being the young victim of racism and bullying, he became part of a gang at age 12. His memories are retold, plain and simple, no decorations, no glorification,no censorship and to a point, no preaching - and it is deeply moving because of that. His story doesn’t need embellishments to be interesting because it is and was the reality of many youths especially in Los Angeles. What he does do throughout the narrative is insert his thoughts looking back at the experiences, now that he is older and has managed to clean up his life. If I remember correctly, Rodriguez wrote this book for his son, who was falling into the same circle of violence. This book is really a must-read. I highly recommend it. ( )

I was always wondering why kids end up in gangs but this book made me understand that the main cause are us parents! I recommend this book!

This is my favorite book because it talks about gangs and stuff & how it affects so many people in so many diffrent ways.

This book is the epitome of amazing finished it in one night; it really shows a lot about Chicano culture, Mexican culture, and gang culture as well. The story is amazing, but there are also tons of things to learn from this book, I strongly recommend it. This book has tons of death and suspense, but it also has its lighter moments as well.
The book is about Luis J.Rodriguez, and he moves to L.A with his parents, as immigrants coming from mexico. It shows the struggles that his family goes through, trying to make a humble and honest living, but it becomes difficult for him,and his family because he joins a gang. For people who are interested in gangs, I really recommend this book!

Luis J. Rodriguez writes about the struggles he went through growing up in a home with immigrant parents and with negative influences surrounding. him.He had problems with not being able to speak English. At a very young age he stared to "hang out" with gangsters from his from his neighborhood, Las Lomas. He became part of the gang at twelve. His teenage days consisted of sex, drugs, and dangerous "trips." "Trips" were when a group of gangsters went to do illegal activity, or when they went to retaliate against the rival gang. Luis who was also known as Chin started to get his act together by going to school, getting a job, and by not doing drugs. He became involved in his community but could not make much difference with the pressure of being in a gang. Luis realized that he would die if he continued to live in Las Lomas, so he decided to move to a different state.

i like this book because of the gang stories it comes with. i have an interest in gang stories and hearing the life of others especially the authors that live around me and know where were coming from. ( )

"Always Running" by Luis Rodriguez is a book that caught my attention because of the picture. Its about a family who is poor. They have to move from place to place and sometimes even sleep in the car. This family goes through a lot. Mexicans at this time are discriminated against by whites. There's a lot of violence that goes on in this family's life. Mexicans made they're own small groups called gangs til this day. So one day one of the sons joins a gang by the name of "Las Lomas" and he would get into a lot of trouble and do drugs. Then one day his teacher came to his house to talk to him and help out. After the talk he had with his teacher he realizes a lot and starts to do better. He got a better education and started writing poetry and he liked it so he kept writing it. Then he graduated from college, started to make his life and got married and had a baby boy. Since he was going to be a daddy he needed to get out of the gang before anything. So when your in a gang its very difficult to get out but they let him out easily. From there he started to live his life as a daddy with his wife and son. I like this book because I can kind of relate to some of the things. Like his mom being a babysitter, my moms a babysitter. Also, how his parents are immigrants, mine are immigrants as well. I can relate to some of the things that have happen in his life. I love this book because I have relatives that have gone through the exact same thing. I learned that people haveharder life then us. I like how he uses both English and Spanish. I recommend this book to everyone and I know for a fact most people will love it if you know can relate. ( )

First, I wanted to read a Chicano book even though Aim not a Chicano I like reading from Spanish-speaking writers and their personal experiences because from where I come from we speak Spanish too. So I chose “Always running” by Luis Rodriguez because the title underneath the main title got my attention. It said “La Vida loca Gangs days in L.A.”. I was always interested on books like that, books that you maybe could relate to your own life. From my life, I cannot relate it to but I could relate it to people around me especially my neighborhood. This book has a lot of violence, discrimination coming from the police department and white people. This book shows how the Mexicans formed their small groups, which later on called “gangs”. They formed their groups because they wanted to fit in. He gets into a lot of trouble and drugs. One day this teacher came to his house and helped him, go to school and get a better education. He starts writing poetry and he likes it. He graduates and goes to college and gets marry and has a baby boy but before that, he needs to forget his “Barrio” and he does but he is scared because when you are in is hard to get out. He was lucky to get out safely but still remembers what he has lived and what he saw during those years being part of “Las Lomas”. I love how the author blends two languages together in the book which makes it more interesting to read because it adds some Spanish flavor in the story, and you are learning how the Mexicans were treated back then in the 60s, 70s and 80s and how that changed over the years. In addition, the author descriptive way of describing the events makes it understandable to picture the event in your head and actually feel like you are watching what is happening. I highly recommend this book because you learn a lot from it and you are going to love it after finishing it. The hardest thing about this book is that you are not going to put it down after you read the first couple of chapters. ( )

This book is on the ALA's list of 100 most frequently banned books of 1990 through 2000.

This is a memoir of gang life & of growing up poor and Chicano in East LA in the '60's & 70's. It's also about learning who you are and finding ways out - through writing, through painting, & through social activism.

Rodriguez is primarily a poet and writer of short stories & it shows in this collection of snap shots of moments from his past. For those wanting a standard tale with a classical throughline and neat conclusions, this book will disappoint.

I enjoyed the author's imagery and the ways he plays with the genre of memoir. What is memory? What do we remember? How do we remember it? For me so much of my memory is just what he provides - little snapshots of moments in time.

From a political/social perspective, this book does a good job of elucidating the reasons kids join gangs and the possible paths out. He talks about gangs as a kind of mass suicide & that's an idea that stuck with me - all these kids looking for family & hating themselves.

In one of those funny moments where influences collide that can happen while reading, I kept thinking of another gang memoir that I read when I was younger. I remembered that it was written by a Puerto Rican guy that grew up in Spanish Harlem & was also about all of the ways that books saved him, but I couldn't remember the name of the book. It was right there on the tip of my tongue. I could remember that the author was named Piri, but that was all. Then I turned a page & there it was - Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas - turns out Luis Rodriguez read that one, too.

This book is also full of shades of Sandra Cisneros - a Chicana writer & poet whose work I've read off & on since her first book - The House on Mango Street. Like Cisneros, Rodriguez' work is full of rhythm & bright color.

I liked this book a great deal, although I don't think it offers any long-term solutions to these problems. Like The Corner, David Simon's killer tome on life on a Baltimore drug corner, this book illustrates the condition. Perhaps education really is the only way out, but to get there we're going to have to spend some money & stop using our educational system to ghettoize people based on class, race, income level, & the phase of the moon on Fridays when the cat's too tired to sing.

The world is a complex & beautiful place & in the end maybe only words can save us. ( )

This book is about a guy that grows up in the ghetto east L.A. where he see's alot of violence, murder, gang fights and alot of things that a kid wouldn't normally see. He goes to sckoola nd themstarts to write poetry. He likes and is a very good writer. Then he tries to get out of the barrio because he knoes that if he stays he will get killed or locked up in jail. He does move. He has a baby boy that when he is a teen jumps into a gang and gets into a lot of trouble. ( )

This book is highly recommended. This personal account about the author's formative years in the Los Angeles barrios is extremely detailed and descriptive. His artful blend of English and Spanish words add flavor to the narrative.

His depiction of Los Angeles in the 60s, 70s and 80s serve to illustrate how much the city has changed, yet highlights where we still need to improve. The recent police action in early 2007 against protesters in MacArthur Park comes to mind... ( )

Lyrical prose captures the violence and trauma of East L.A. gang warfare. ( )

An unpleasent story about a kid in a gang.

Review to come. ( )

adult situations (sex, language, violence); needs parental permission ( )