Luis J. Rodriguez

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…

In the memoir “Always Running”, the author Luis J. Rodriguez writes about his life growing up in East Los Angeles and confronts several difficult situations. I don’t blame Luis for making these decisions and Rodriguez shouldn’t be held responsible for the actions he made throughout his youth because he didn’t have a choice in what he did since he was in a gang, the environment he grew up and he wasn’t offered a good education. Personally, I don't blame Luis for making these difficult decisions…

The poem ‘Race’ Politics by Luis J. Rodriguez is about how there was no equality and fairness to different races when this poem was written. The purpose for writing this poem was his own experience with this issue. This poem can impact the reader by making them see a new point of view on this topic. Maybe they have some racial diversion themselves and aren’t treated equally. It gives them a sense that they aren’t the only one’s going through this. The effect that connotation has has people is to…

In the story Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez, the main character Grillo started off as a spanish speaker that had just immigrated from Mexico, but then started to get influenced by the gangsters that lived in his neighborhood. Then his life started to dramatically change. Three main changes that Grillo goes through are racial discrimination, joining a gang, and his drive for education. One of the reasons why Grillo changed was because he faced racial discrimination as a kid, when he…

games trump morals and values in the minds of the fans? Apparently in today’s society it does. After coming back from a 65 game suspension for violating the MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention Program, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, was not only cheered for each at bat, he was given a standing ovation by the crowd of 45,691 (Gruman). After testing positive for PEDs, then lying to the media about his use, the fans still welcomed him back with open arms. Disappointingly, this is not the only case.…

pain away. They use this to limit the pain they endure during the event they participate in. The use of these drugs can affect them differently then they are supposed to, if the uses of the drugs are abused. These enhancers are believed to be used by athletes, amateur and professionals and needs to come to an end. The use of performance enhancers, such as Adderall and Hydrocodone, in high school athletics and professional sport, is a problem that can be eliminated by educating about the risks…

reasons why pro athletes should be allowed to use steroids, including the fact that most Performance Enhancing Drugs are legal, Its their bodies so it should be their choice and risk, and every athlete has great pressure on them to win. Most people caught using PEDs are using completely legal ones. Most likely athletes will use HCG or others that are legal in the US(Katz,2008). The only reason PEDs are bad is because the NCAA committee , and commissioners of pro sports are making rules that…

Rodriguez was caught using steroids, and has now been suspended for one year from the Yankees. Moller defends the use of steroids, agreeing that the average sports-loving American places athletes high above normal citizens. The author says, “I’d wager that the lure of being A-Rod is a bit more seductive than an A on that art history test” (551). Basically Moller is saying that even he used a performance enhancing drug in high school. Rodriguez was under a lot more stress and caved in to the use…

decades, and possibly even before that. When you think of Performance Enhancing Drugs, or PED’s for short, you think of a drug that are considered illegal, narcotic, or even dangerous, depending on how much you use. This stuff is no joke. These drugs are also considered an abusive substance, meaning you can do more harm to other people, other than just your body. It’s scary just to even think about it. Some of these substances can include dietary supplements, prescription medications, and…

player’s performance on the field. Over the last few years, members of the BBWAA have not voted in players that have been caught using steroids into the Hall of Fame. However, there are many different positive reasons as to why PED users that have had Hall of Fame careers should be in the Hall of Fame. It allows all the players deserving, based on stats, to have a greater chance of being inducted. This will lead to more players being recognized that have had successful careers, even if they had…