Always Running By Luis Rodriguez Essay

1042 Words3 Pages

In the book Always Running written by Luis J. Rodriguez we meet the author at a young age, We accompany him as he grows into the Veteran gang lifestyle. Throughout the autobiography, Luis, a young Chicano who survived ¨La Vida Loca¨ in South San Gabriel gives voice to an unheard cry and illuminates the cycle of poverty and violence of gang wars. His families instability and the discrimination they received due to their ethnicity gives him a desire to hurt others and seek understanding in a deviant way. Rodriguez speaks on many of the issues we still see in our Latino communities today, The lack of resources; financially and emotionally. He narrates his own internal and external battles to gain respect, belonging, and protection. In Watts Los Angeles, California Rodriguez and his family first settled after his father refused to return to Mexico, having been in prison due to some false charges he was accused of. Watts being a black neighborhood caused his older brother Rano to constantly be bullied, jumped, or chased by the other children Rano took all the rage and pain out on young …show more content…

The reason he shines a light on this lifestyle is because without knowing youngsters are slowly killing themselves with drugs, alcohol, and their loyalty to a street or community that is not even important enough to be on a map. When his son Ramiro is locked up for going down the same path he decides to put an end to it by narrating his life and not censoring anything. Most of what he does is just to prove himself to others, not for his own interest and that's the sad reality of most teens doing things just to gain respect or fear from others. This book is considered an all call or warning to others in the wrong lifestyle and not seeing the devilish ways of this

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