Always Running, La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez is a compelling autobiography, which allows readers to understand what gang life is like if they have not experienced it in their personal lives. Throughout the biography, Rodriguez explores his youth, street life, drugs, various acts of violence and getting out of the vicious cycle he once knew as the only way of life. As well as exploring these topics, Rodriguez delves into the everyday struggles that youth of color face, which include survival, love, acceptance, and the need for respect and community. Rodriguez 's work also allows the reader to understand gang life firsthand, and not just through a researcher 's work. Although the book is raw and unfiltered, it puts into
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As a child, he was disregarded and placed in the back of the classroom because of the language barrier between him and his teacher. It is quite upsetting to read Rodriguez 's book and have him describe the terrible situations he had to go through. Rodriguez explains it took his teacher almost a year to figure out he was neglected (p. 26). He also describes how he "didn 't even tell anybody when [he] had to go to the bathroom. [He] did it in his pants" (Rodriguez, p. 26). The schooling system during Rodriguez 's time was very different and, "in those days, there was no way to integrate the non-English speaking children. So they just made it a crime to speak anything but English" (Rodriguez, p. 27). That type of neglect affects young children, and "not speaking well makes for such embarrassing moments. [He] hardly asked questions. [He] didn 't want to be misunderstood" (Rodriguez, p. 27). Being different shouldn 't be the reason why someone does not receive the proper education he or she deserves, but this is what happened to Luis …show more content…
Because his parents were born in Mexico, he is otherized by the United States. As described before, Rodriguez was not paid attention to when he was in school, and he encountered many racist situations where people treated him different because of his skin color and because he was "Mexican." Rodriguez also lived in poverty thanks to the urbanization of cities and working-class and people of color were pushed out to the inner city areas. People of color were ostracized for even stepping foot in neighborhoods where middle-class people lived, and they were also denied public amenities, parks, and beaches were becoming more segregated. Libraries and playgrounds were closing for people of color, youth congregations of ordinary kids were being banned and the streets were becoming vacant and dangerous (Davis, p. 227). Everywhere Rodriguez turned, he was treated as an outsider. He did not fit in with society, but he did fit in within his barrio. That is why the gang life is so alluring to many youths. As described by Duran in "Gang Life" "core ideals create internal cohesion and respect for their members" (p. 150). Youth also shift, "one 's image from that of a victim who weakly tolerates affronts to that of a strong and courageous warrior who reacts quickly to perceived disrespect" (Duran, p. 150). Individuals suddenly become part of a larger collective and receive the solidarity and the
As a child, he was disregarded and placed in the back of the classroom because of the language barrier between him and his teacher. It is quite upsetting to read Rodriguez 's book and have him describe the terrible situations he had to go through. Rodriguez explains it took his teacher almost a year to figure out he was neglected (p. 26). He also describes how he "didn 't even tell anybody when [he] had to go to the bathroom. [He] did it in his pants" (Rodriguez, p. 26). The schooling system during Rodriguez 's time was very different and, "in those days, there was no way to integrate the non-English speaking children. So they just made it a crime to speak anything but English" (Rodriguez, p. 27). That type of neglect affects young children, and "not speaking well makes for such embarrassing moments. [He] hardly asked questions. [He] didn 't want to be misunderstood" (Rodriguez, p. 27). Being different shouldn 't be the reason why someone does not receive the proper education he or she deserves, but this is what happened to Luis …show more content…
Because his parents were born in Mexico, he is otherized by the United States. As described before, Rodriguez was not paid attention to when he was in school, and he encountered many racist situations where people treated him different because of his skin color and because he was "Mexican." Rodriguez also lived in poverty thanks to the urbanization of cities and working-class and people of color were pushed out to the inner city areas. People of color were ostracized for even stepping foot in neighborhoods where middle-class people lived, and they were also denied public amenities, parks, and beaches were becoming more segregated. Libraries and playgrounds were closing for people of color, youth congregations of ordinary kids were being banned and the streets were becoming vacant and dangerous (Davis, p. 227). Everywhere Rodriguez turned, he was treated as an outsider. He did not fit in with society, but he did fit in within his barrio. That is why the gang life is so alluring to many youths. As described by Duran in "Gang Life" "core ideals create internal cohesion and respect for their members" (p. 150). Youth also shift, "one 's image from that of a victim who weakly tolerates affronts to that of a strong and courageous warrior who reacts quickly to perceived disrespect" (Duran, p. 150). Individuals suddenly become part of a larger collective and receive the solidarity and the