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| the autobiography of an la gang member: Monster Sanyika Shakur, 1994-07-01 Written in solitary confinement, the author's memoir of 16 years as a gangbanger in Los Angeles makes palpable the despair and decay of America's inner cities and gives eloquent voice to one aspect of the black ghetto experience. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Monster Sanyika Shakur, 2007-12-01 The classic memoir of life as a Crip, written in solitary confinement: “A shockingly raw, frightening portrait of gang life in South Central Los Angeles.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times After pumping eight blasts from a sawed-off shotgun at a group of rival gang members, twelve-year-old Kody Scott was initiated into the L.A. gang the Crips. He quickly matured into one of the most formidable Crip combat soldiers, earning the name “Monster” for committing acts of brutal violence that repulsed even his fellow gang members. When the inevitable jail term confined him to a maximum-security cell, a complete political and personal transformation followed: from Monster to Sanyika Shakur, black nationalist, member of the New Afrikan Independence Movement, and crusader against the causes of gangsterism. In a work that has been compared to The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice, Shakur makes palpable the despair and decay of America’s inner cities and gives eloquent voice to one aspect of the black ghetto experience. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Sanyika Shakur, 2004-06 For use in schools and libraries only. The author's memoir of 16 years as a gang member in the Los Angeles Crips chronicles his brutal rise within the organization, as well as his subsequent jail term, and his political and personal transformation into an anti-gang crusader. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. Sanyika Shakur, 2009-08-18 A street lit novel that’s “a visceral and strikingly real portrayal of gang life in Los Angeles” from the author of the bestselling memoir Monster (Publishers Weekly). T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. is a vicious, heart-wrenching and true-to-life novel about an LA gang member that masterfully captures the violence and depravity of gang life. Shakur’s protagonist is Lapeace, the leader of the Eight Tray Crips gang in South Central Los Angeles. In a deadly gunfight with Anyhow, a Blood and Lapeace’s rival since childhood, eight innocent civilians are killed. Anyhow is captured. Lapeace becomes a fugitive and he must hide out in the home of his girlfriend, Tashima, a hip-hop mogul as a pair of crooked LA detectives, John Sweeney and Jesse Mendoza, attempt to track him down. This novel was written from the confines of Shakur’s jail cell, and the authenticity of its street scenes—the relentlessness of violence, the do-or-die attitude of each side of the gang war, the sheer joy in the killing—is a testament to the hell that has been a majority of Shakur’s life. With T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E., Shakur delivers a powerful and gripping story about the terror of gang life and one man’s attempt to free himself. “Shakur is better than anyone else in the street lit game at making his characters feel like real people . . . This gang life novel is the real deal.”—Publishers Weekly “This fascinating novel reflects the raw violence and moral ambiguities of street gangs and the cops who police them.”—Booklist “T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. deftly weaves together the extensive and complex histories of its characters with their present struggles.”—Chicago Defender |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Inside the Crips Colton Simpson, Ann Pearlman, 2013-12-24 “[An] arresting memoir” about one man’s life in an L. A. street gang, from age ten in the 1970s to his prison turnaround twenty-five years later (Publishers Weekly). Colton “C-Loc” Simpson was a Crip. Beginning at the age of ten in the mid-1970s, Simpson’s world was defined in terms of war. By the time he quit, Simpson had risen through the ranks to become Stabilizer and, later, General. Simpson was the son of Dick Simpson, a ballplayer for the California Angels and Cincinnati Reds, but even before he became a gangbanger, his life was rough. Raised by his grandmother in South Central L.A. Simpson didn’t so much turn to the streets as become engulfed by them: without asking to become part of the gang, his forced induction into the Crips meant running don an alley while the members opened fire on him. Inside the Crips is Simpson’s unstinting account—emotional, violent, ugly, and tender—of life inside a gang. You’ll meet intense characters such as Smiley, Simpson’s fellow gangbanger, and heartbreaking ones such as Gina, the mother of two young sons who married Simpson in prison. With a foreword by Ice T “The book provides a window into an often misunderstood way of life.” —Publishers Weekly “The Crips . . . is a famously difficult organization from which to retire alive. . . . This unvarnished portrayal of gang life is enlightening and even inspiring about a subject badly in need of illumination.” —Booklist |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Always Running Luis J. Rodríguez, 2012-06-12 The award-winning memoir of life in an LA street gang from the acclaimed Chicano author and former Los Angeles Poet Laureate: “Fierce, and fearless” (The New York Times). Luis J. Rodríguez joined his first gang at age eleven. As a teenager, he witnessed the rise of some of the most notorious cliques in Southern California. He grew up knowing only a life of violence—one that revolved around drugs, gang wars, and police brutality. But unlike most of those around him, Rodríguez found a way out when art, writing, and political activism gave him a new path—and an escape from self-destruction. Always Running spares no detail in its vivid, brutally honest portrayal of street life and violence, and it stands as a powerful and unforgettable testimonial of gang life by one of the most acclaimed Chicano writers of his generation. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Luis J. Rodríguez including rare images from the author’s personal collection. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Do or Die Leon Bing, 1992-05-20 Do or Die is the first insider account of teenage gangs--the lives, loves, and battles of children who kill--from the only journalist ever allowed inside this closed and dangerous world. This is no West Side Story. Welcome to a world where teenagers wear colostomy bags and have scrapbooks filled with funeral invitations; where a young man, after being shot in the chest, drives himself to the hospital; where another youngster, caught in crossfire, uses his girlfriend as a human shield; where teenage gangsters are kidnapped, tortured, and held for six-figure ransoms; where kids hum the latest movie's theme music while killing people. It's a world of clickheads, sherms, bangers, ballers, and mummyheads; a world where the strongest feelings of family come from other gang members; a world where the most potent feelings of self-worth come from murder. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Lady Q Reymundo Sanchez, Sonia Rodriguez, 2008-07-01 A former member of the violent Latin Kings street gang, Reymundo Sanchez brings his hard-earned experience and insight to bear on the issue of young women in gangs, tracing the heartbreaking transformation of a bright young girl named Sonia Rodriguez--who tried desperately to avoid the drugs, violence, and gang members that infested her family and neighborhood--into the ruthless and powerful Latin Queen leader known as &“Lady Q.&” From throwing punches and running drugs to getting shot at and doing time in prison, Lady Q follows the same dangerous, dead-end road as so many young men in gangs, until she realizes that saving herself and her children means changing course before it's too late. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Monster Monster Scott, Sanyika Shakur, 1994 Called a shockingly raw, frightening portrait of gang life in South Central Los Angeles by The New York Times, this autobiography chronicles Shakur's life from brutal gang member to his personal tranformation in prison as a black nationalist and crusader against the causes of gangsterism. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: It Doesn't Have to be this Way Luis J. Rodriguez, 1999 Reluctantly a young boy becomes more and more involved in the activities of a local gang, until a tragic event involving his cousin forces him to make a choice about the course of his life. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Gangland Laura L. Finley, 2018-10-01 This two-volume set integrates informative encyclopedia entries and essential primary documents to provide an illuminating overview of trends in gang membership and activity in America in the 21st century. Gangland: An Encyclopedia of Gang Life from Cradle to Grave includes extended discussion of specific gangs; types of gangs based on ethnicity and environment (rural, suburban, and urban); recruitment and retention methods; leadership structure and other internal dynamics of various gangs; impacts of gang membership on extended family; the historical evolution of gangs in American society; depictions of gang life in popular culture; violent and nonviolent gang activities; and programs, policies, agencies, and organizations that have been crafted to combat gang activities. In addition, the encyclopedia includes a suite of primary sources that offer a look into the personal experiences of gang members, examine efforts by law enforcement and public officials to address gang activity, and address wider societal factors that make eradicating gangs such a difficult task. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: MS-13 Steven Dudley, 2020-09-08 “One of the year’s most important books, a gripping meticulously reported account of the rise of one of the world’s most notorious street gangs.” —Mitch Weiss, Pulitzer Prize winner Winner of the Lukas Prize An NPR Best Book of the Year The MS-13 was born from war. In the 1980s, Alex and his brother fled El Salvador for the US and formed the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners. Initially bound by a love of heavy metal music, the group soon took on a harder edge, selling drugs, stealing cars and killing rivals. Gang members like Alex were incarcerated and deported. But in the prison system, the group only grew stronger. Today, MS-13 is one of the most infamous street gangs on earth—and also largely misunderstood. Longtime organized crime investigator Steven Dudley brings readers inside the nefarious group to tell a broader story of flawed US and Central American policies and the exploitative, unequal systems that shape them. “A remarkable feat of reporting; the ways in which the United States is complicit in the creation and preservation of MS-13 might well keep you awake deep into the night, as it did me.” —Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises “By detailing the experiences of gang members and victims alike, he anatomizes the complex, fluid dynamics of this elusive transnational network. A startling book.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times–bestselling author of Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks “The definitive account of MS-13 . . . An outstanding book for true crime readers.” —Library Journal (starred review) |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: I Am Raymond Washington Zach Fortier, 2014-12-29 I Am Raymond Washington is the only authorized biography of the undisputed founder of the Crips and provides an unprecedented look into Raymond Washington's life. If you're looking for stories of gang violence and crimes committed by gang members, that's been done before, and this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for a factual and intuitive look into what made Raymond Washington unique in the mean streets of Los Angeles, this is the book you want to read. Filled with stories, many never-before-seen photographs, as well as interviews and eyewitness accounts of those who knew Raymond, what he represented, and how and why the Crips were formed-and why his name is still spoken on the streets of Los Angeles today with hatred, fear, awe, and reverence. Entering the world of Raymond Washington with an open mind was difficult for me; however, the story of who Raymond Washington was as a leader, warrior, tactician, and mentor became clear. Learn why the gang was so successful and how an unremarkable fifteen-year-old kid in the fall of 1969 sat down with his best friend and formed what later became one of the most successful, and yet feared and hated gangs in the world-the Crips. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: My Bloody Life Reymundo Sanchez, 2007-04-01 Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs, alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one breath will say they'll die for you and in the next will order your assassination. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Disco's Out...Murder's In! Heath Mattioli, David Spacone, 2015-10-19 Famous for its revolutionary aspects in musical, political, sexual identity and consumerist ideas, punk rock also has its lesser-known gangster ethos as well, explained here by players in the various punk gangs. The Los Angeles, Orange County, and South Bay punk scenes, populated by blue collar kids who responded to the violence and aggression of punk songs and shows. A number of them formed punk gangs that got into beatings, drug dealing and murder. Among them, no gang was more notorious than La Mirada Punks, or LMP. Says LMP chieftain Frank the Shank after getting arrested by police for murder: After having my hands in so much bloodshed over the years, I most certainly had it coming. I deserved whatever I got. Unexpectedly Frank was bailed out from prison by his father's friend, a mob gangster. Too many people died at the hands of punk rock violence, said Frank. I got lucky, some didn't. As an ultra-violent punk rock gangster, I admit my part in ruining the scene. L.A. punk was a magical moment of youth expression like no other. And the gangs ruined punk rock. I still have people telling me today that they quit punk because of LMP. I dig graves at a small cemetery just outside Los Angeles. What else would you expect for Frank the Shank? Cover illustration by the renowned Raymond Pettibon. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: All Involved Ryan Gattis, 2015-04-07 A propulsive and ambitious novel as electrifying as The Wire, from a writer hailed as the West Coast's Richard Price—a mesmerizing epic of crime and opportunity, race, revenge, and loyalty, set in the chaotic streets of South Central L.A. in the wake of one of the most notorious and incendiary trials of the 1990s At 3:15 p.m. on April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted three white Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with using excessive force to subdue a black man named Rodney King, and failed to reach a verdict on the same charges involving a fourth officer. Less than two hours later, the city exploded in violence that lasted six days. In nearly 121 hours, fifty-three lives were lost. But there were even more deaths unaccounted for: violence that occurred outside of active rioting sites by those who used the chaos to viciously settle old scores. A gritty and cinematic work of fiction, All Involved vividly re-creates this turbulent and terrifying time, set in a sliver of Los Angeles largely ignored by the media during the riots. Ryan Gattis tells seventeen interconnected first-person narratives that paint a portrait of modern America itself—laying bare our history, our prejudices, and our complexities. With characters that capture the voices of gang members, firefighters, graffiti kids, and nurses caught up in these extraordinary circumstances, All Involved is a literary tour de force that catapults this edgy writer into the ranks of such legendary talents as Dennis Lehane and George V. Higgins. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation David C. Brotherton, Luis Barrios, 2004-03-03 From Los Angeles and New York to Chicago and Miami, street gangs are regarded as one of the most intractable crime problems facing our cities, and a vast array of resources is being deployed to combat them. This book chronicles the astounding self-transformation of one of the most feared gangs in the United States into a social movement acting on behalf of the dispossessed, renouncing violence and the underground economy, and requiring school attendance for membership. What caused the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation of New York City to make this remarkable transformation? And why has it not happened to other gangs elsewhere? David C. Brotherton and Luis Barrios were given unprecedented access to new and never-before-published material by and about the Latin Kings and Queens, including the group's handbook, letters written by members, poems, rap songs, and prayers. In addition, they interviewed more than one hundred gang members, including such leaders as King Tone and King Hector. Featuring numerous photographs by award-winning photojournalist Steve Hart, the book explains the symbolic significance for the gang of hand gestures, attire, rituals, and rites of passage. Based on their inside information, the authors craft a unique portrait of the lives of the gang members and a ground-breaking study of their evolution. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Gangs in America's Communities James C. Howell, Elizabeth Griffiths, 2015-02-18 Gangs in America's Communities offers a comprehensive, up-to-date, and theoretically grounded approach to gangs and associated youth violence. Authors Dr. James C. Howell and Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths introduce readers to the foundations of gang studies through the origins of gangs, definitions and categories of youth/street gangs, transnational as well as prison gangs (and the distinctions between these arguably different types), national trends in gang presence and gang-related violence across American cities, distinguishing attributes of serious street gangs, and myths and realities. Students and instructors will benefit from the Second Edition’s comprehensive treatment of the state of the literature on individual-level causes and consequences of gang membership. Going beyond the traditional topics covered in most texts in the market, this book uniquely describes specific gang patterns, trends, and cultures within a group-based structure while illuminating the most promising avenues for reducing the presence and seriousness of gangs in American communities. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: How to Win Friends and Influence People , 2024-02-17 You can go after the job you want…and get it! You can take the job you have…and improve it! You can take any situation you’re in…and make it work for you! Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 30 million copies. Dale Carnegie’s first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie’s principles endure, and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age. Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: The Republic of East LA Luis J. Rodriguez, 2003-03-04 From the award-winning author of Always Running comes a brilliant collection of short stories about life in East Los Angeles. Whether hilariously capturing the voice of a philosophizing limo driver whose dream is to make the most of his rap-metal garage band in My Ride, My Revolution, or the monologue-styled rant of a tes-ti-fy-ing! tent revivalist named Ysela in Oiga, Rodriguez squeezes humor from the lives of people who are not ready to sacrifice their dreams due to circumstance. In these stories, Luis J. Rodriguez gives eloquent voice to the neighborhood where he spent many years as a resident, a father, an organizer, and, finally, a writer: a neighborhood that offers more to the world than its appearance allows. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Unforgetting Roberto Lovato, 2020-09 Gripping and beautiful. With the artistry of a poet and the intensity of a revolutionary, Lovato untangles the tightly knit skein of love and terror that connects El Salvador and the United States. --Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Natural Causes and Nickel and Dimed An urgent, no-holds-barred tale of gang life, guerrilla warfare, intergenerational trauma, and interconnected violence between the United States and El Salvador, Robert Lovato's memoir excavates family history and reveals the intimate stories beneath headlines about gang violence and mass Central American migration, one of the most important, yet least-understood humanitarian crises of our time--and one in which the perspectives of Central Americans in the United States have been silenced and forgotten. The child of Salvadoran immigrants, Roberto Lovato grew up in 1970s and 80s San Francisco as MS-13 and other notorious Salvadoran gangs were forming in California. In his teens, he lost friends to the escalating violence, and survived acts of brutality himself. He eventually traded the violence of the streets for human rights advocacy in wartime El Salvador where he joined the guerilla movement against the U.S.-backed, fascist military government responsible for some of the most barbaric massacres and crimes against humanity in recent history. Roberto returned from war-torn El Salvador to find the United States on the verge of unprecedented crises of its own. There, he channeled his own pain into activism and journalism, focusing his attention on how trauma affects individual lives and societies, and began the difficult journey of confronting the roots of his own trauma. As a child, Roberto endured a tumultuous relationship with his father Ramón. Raised in extreme poverty in the countryside of El Salvador during one of the most violent periods of its history, Ramón learned to survive by straddling intersecting underworlds of family secrets, traumatic silences, and dealing in black-market goods and guns. The repression of the violence in his life took its toll, however. Ramón was plagued with silences and fits of anger that had a profound impact on his youngest son, and which Roberto attributes as a source of constant reckoning with the violence and rebellion in his own life. In Unforgetting, Roberto interweaves his father's complicated history and his own with first-hand reportage on gang life, state violence, and the heart of the immigration crisis in both El Salvador and the United States. In doing so he makes the political personal, revealing the cyclical ways violence operates in our homes and our societies, as well as the ways hope and tenderness can rise up out of the darkness if we are courageous enough to unforget. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: The Gangs of New York Herbert Asbury, 1928 |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: E.A.R.L. DMX, Smokey D. Fontaine, 2003-10-21 The dark journey of a boy who became a man, the man who became an artist, and the artist who became an icon. A talent for rhyme saved his life, but the demons and sins of his past continue to haunt him. This is the story of Earl Simmons. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: A Book Review about Sanyika Shakur's "Monster. An Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member" Amos Wesonga, 2018-06-27 Essay from the year 2018 in the subject American Studies - Literature, , language: English, abstract: The life of every society changes from time to time. These facts are real, particularly in the United States (U.S.). In 1993, a new trend of gang life began to emerge along the streets in the U.S. The book Shakur Sanyika’s Monster was the first one to provide an account of this lifestyle. The author of the book raised some concerns regarding criminal justice by revealing the acts of violence and sensationalist. Thus, this paper aims to review the book, with its significant sections including summary, significant themes in the book, strengths, and weaknesses of the text and context of the book. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: To Live and Defy in LA Felicia Angeja Viator, 2020-02-25 How gangsta rap shocked America, made millions, and pulled back the curtain on an urban crisis. How is it that gangsta rap—so dystopian that it struck aspiring Brooklyn rapper and future superstar Jay-Z as “over the top”—was born in Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood, surf, and sun? In the Reagan era, hip-hop was understood to be the music of the inner city and, with rare exception, of New York. Rap was considered the poetry of the street, and it was thought to breed in close quarters, the product of dilapidated tenements, crime-infested housing projects, and graffiti-covered subway cars. To many in the industry, LA was certainly not hard-edged and urban enough to generate authentic hip-hop; a new brand of black rebel music could never come from La-La Land. But it did. In To Live and Defy in LA, Felicia Viator tells the story of the young black men who built gangsta rap and changed LA and the world. She takes readers into South Central, Compton, Long Beach, and Watts two decades after the long hot summer of 1965. This was the world of crack cocaine, street gangs, and Daryl Gates, and it was the environment in which rappers such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E came of age. By the end of the 1980s, these self-styled “ghetto reporters” had fought their way onto the nation’s radio and TV stations and thus into America’s consciousness, mocking law-and-order crusaders, exposing police brutality, outraging both feminists and traditionalists with their often retrograde treatment of sex and gender, and demanding that America confront an urban crisis too often ignored. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Black Popular Culture Gina Dent, 1998 The latest publication in the award-winning Discussions in Contemporary Culture series, Black Popular Culture gathers together an extraordinary array of critics, scholars, and cultural producers. 30 essays explore and debate current directions in film, television, music, writing, and other cultural forms as created by or with the participation of black artists. 30 illustrations. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Blue Rage, Black Redemption Stanley Tookie Williams, 2007-11-13 A gripping tale of personal revolution by a man who went from Crips cofounder to Nobel Peace Prize nominee, author, and anti-gang activist. When his LA neighborhood was threatened by gangbangers, Stanley Tookie Williams and a friend formed the Crips, but what began as protection became worse than the original gangs. From deadly street fights with their rivals to drive-by shootings and stealing cars, the Crips' influence—and Tookie's reputation—began to spread across LA. Soon he was regularly under police surveillance, and, as a result, was arrested often, though always released because the charges did not stick. But in 1981, Tookie was convicted of murdering four people and was sent to death row at San Quentin in Marin County, California. Tookie maintained his innocence and began to work in earnest to prevent others from following his path. Whether he was creating nationwide peace protocols, discouraging adolescents from joining gangs, or writing books, Tookie worked tirelessly for the rest of his life to end gang violence. Even after his death, his legacy continues, supported by such individuals as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Snoop Dogg, Jesse Jackson, and many more. This posthumous edition of Blue Rage, Black Redemption features a foreword by Tavis Smiley and an epilogue by Barbara Becnel, which details not only the influence of Tookie's activism but also her eyewitness account of his December 2005 execution, and the inquest that followed. By turns frightening and enlightening, Blue Rage, Black Redemption is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and an invaluable lesson in how rage can be turned into redemption. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Tattoos on the Heart Gregory Boyle, 2010-03-09 Father Gregory Boyle’s sparkling parables about kinship and the sacredness of life are drawn from twenty years working with gangs in LA. How do you fight despair and learn to meet the world with a loving heart? How do you overcome shame? Stay faithful in spite of failure? No matter where people live or what their circumstances may be, everyone needs boundless, restorative love. Gorgeous and uplifting, Tattoos on the Heart amply demonstrates the impact unconditional love can have on your life. As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s wonderful, hard-earned wisdom. Inspired by faith but applicable to anyone trying to be good, these personal, unflinching stories are full of surprising revelations and observations of the community in which Boyle works and of the many lives he has helped save. Erudite, down-to-earth, and utterly heartening, these essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love in difficult times and the importance of fighting despair. With Gregory Boyle’s guidance, we can recognize our own wounds in the broken lives and daunting struggles of the men and women in these parables and learn to find joy in all of the people around us. Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than another. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Gangs Mario L. Hesse, Hesse Et Al, 2016-01-30 Covers essential gang topics as well as new topics not found in other texts. This book presents a traditional and brief overview of the history of gangs. It also includes four areas not extensively covered in other textbooks: Gangs and Corrections, Gangs and Law Enforcement, Gangs and The Law, and Gangs and The Media. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Understanding Gangs and Gang Violence in America Gabe Morales, 2020-04-07 Understanding Gangs and Gang Violence in America examines past, current, and future concerns regarding street and prison gang life in the United States. Author Gabe Morales combines his personal history, his experience serving in the adult and juvenile criminal justice system, thought-provoking case studies, and the perspectives of other experts within the field to paint a comprehensive and holistic portrait of American gangs and gang violence. The text examines what a gang is, how gang members are defined by various segments of society, common forms of gang communications, and the rules of the streets. It covers the history of major gangs in America, gang recruitment and behaviors, hate groups, and prevention and intervention programs. Dedicated chapters discuss teen brain function and risk factors for gang involvement, national and local responses to gang activity, and the efficacy and inefficacy of state laws. The book concludes with a discussion of gangs on an international scale, the future of gang-related issues, and how readers can apply their knowledge at the community level. Understanding Gangs and Gang Violence in America is valuable for courses in criminal justice and corrections. It can also be used by criminal justice and law enforcement practitioners who work with at-risk or gang-related populations. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Once a King, Always a King Reymundo Sanchez, 2003 Once a King, Always a King is the sequel to his memoir, My Bloody Life, and recounts the former gang member's struggle to create a normal life. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Bad James Carr, 2016 A brutal indictment of the American penal system and a plea for prison reform--Cover. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Skin Deep Steven Burton, 2017-10-24 For decades now tattoos have been potent symbols of the Los Angeles gang-life scene. The black and white tattoos with recognizable gang symbols appear on members' faces, necks and all over their bodies, making their gang affiliation immediately clear to whomever crosses their path. This can mean the difference between life and death on he streets, and just as often, in prison. What does this prominently placed imagery mean for those men and women who somehow extricate themselves from gang life or are released from prison or want to separate themselves from the gang and start life anew? The very tattoos which may have helped guard against the constant threat of rival gangs now bar many ex-gang members from employment, life without harassment, and the freedom to move on from a past they have worked hard to overcome. Skin Deep is a photography project that seeks to show the effects of this ongoing gang conflict in Los Angeles. Photographer Steven Burton set out to photograph realistic portraits of former gang members who are trying to escape the revolving door of death and prison. For these men and women, the aftermath of gang life is not only carried within--it is also scrawled across their faces and bodies. Skin Deep uniquely highlights the impact tattoos have on the way a person is perceived by showing what each participant might look like without them. Utilizing before and, thanks to the advantages of Photoshop, after photographs, these men and women got a chance to see what they'd look like without the inked visual armor. After the bare images were presented to each, they were asked to talk about themselves and their families, what tattoos represent to them, and their aspirations for the future. Seeing themselves without tattoos--many for the first time in decades--naturally brought about a wide range of emotions, recollections, hopes, and dreams, with responses such as: I am shocked. I don't know what to say about this. I am going to give this to my mom, she is going to be so happy. I think this guy in the pictures would judge the one with tattoos right off the top. That's crazy, that looks real crazy. Those came out cool man! I think I like it better without the tattoos. Burton met his subjects thanks to Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries in LA, and the entire project is inspired by his tireless work to help rehabilitate these former gang members and give them all a crucial second chance in life. Skin Deep offers a chance to expose the realities these individuals face when trying to rebuild their lives and re-enter society. As importantly, for the public, the project provokes consideration regarding how society perceives and judges people with tattoos and violent pasts and seeks to garner empathy for those caught in the crosshairs of gang life as they try to change their futures. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Gangs of the El Paso-Juárez Borderland Mike Tapia, 2020-12-15 This thought-provoking book examines gang history in the region encompassing West Texas, Southern New Mexico, and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico. Known as the El Paso-Juárez borderland region, the area contains more than three million people spanning 130 miles from east to west. From the badlands--the historically notorious eastern Valle de Juárez--to the Puerto Palomas port of entry at Columbus, New Mexico, this area has become more militarized and politicized than ever before. Mike Tapia examines this region by exploring a century of historical developments through a criminological lens and by studying the diverse subcultures on both sides of the law. Tapia looks extensively at the role of history and geography on criminal subculture formation in the binational urban setting of El Paso-Juárez, demonstrating the region's unique context for criminogenic processes. He provides a poignant case study of Homeland Security and the apparent lack of drug-war spillover in communities on the US-Mexico border. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Daaku Ranj Dhaliwal, 2006 In the violent and ruthless world of Indo-Canadian gangs, Ruby Pandher is on his way up. A self-described daaku (Punjabi for outlaw), Ruby learns young that might, in the form of his drunken father's fists, is right, and that money is easier to steal than earn. Ruby's small-time scams reveal a knack for leadership and after his first stint in youth detention, the big-timers start to notice his potential. Soon, Ruby is doing collections for Indo-Canadian drug dealers. Now known to police, Ruby is drawn into a gang war just as he's trying to beat the rap on weapons charges and theft -- while simultaneously organizing a jailhouse smuggling ring. On the cusp of adulthood, and surrounded by Punjabi terrorists, bikers and Indo-Canadian gangsters, Ruby is drawn like a moth to the glamour of power, money, and drugs. A story of betrayal, cold-blooded murder and the rise and eventual fall of one gangster, Daaku is a bullet-riddled grand tour of Indo-Canadian gangland. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Unmasking L.A. D. Sawhney, 2002-05-16 Since its birth in 1781, Los Angeles has come to define both the material and spiritual force of American civilization. The American dream is realized, experienced, and lost in the City of Angels. Unmasking L.A.: Third Worlds and the City, an interdisciplinary collection of essays, dialogues, and photographs, seeks to reveal the third world geographies, cultures, and populations of Los Angeles. It examines the social, political, cultural, and literary climate of the city, bringing together diverse responses to the complexities facing Los Angeles from respected intellectuals, writers, and artists such as Mike Davis, Deepak Chopra, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. By uncovering the forces that marginalize Los Angeles's ever-shifting populations into internal third worlds, the collection unmasks the raw contradictions, the grim paradoxes, and the understated ironies of the global city. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: Street-Gang and Tribal-Warrior Autobiographies H. David Brumble, 2018-04-10 Street-Gang and Tribal-Warrior Autobiographies is a study of the autobiographies of tribal-warrior cultures in North America, the Amazon, the Orinoco Basin, the highlands of Luzon, the island of Alor — of headhunters, women, Apaches, New Guinea big men and a Yanomami captive. The book also discusses tribal-warrior autobiographies closer to home: Colton Simpson’s Inside the Crips, Mona Ruiz’s Two Badges, Nathan McCall’s Makes Me Wanna Holler and Sanyika Shakur’s Monster, autobiographies that remember gangbanging at a time when there were close to 500 gang-related homicides a year in Los Angeles—a time when gangbangers were so alienated from the larger society that they reinvented something very similar to the tribal-warrior cultures right in the asphalt heart of American cities. Grisly, probing and resonant with the voices of generations of fighters, Street-Gang and Tribal-Warrior Autobiographies is an unsettling work of cross-disciplinary scholarship. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: The Thin Black Line Hugh Holton, 2010-01-19 A nonfiction collection of the exploits and accomplishments of African American law enforcement officers. |
| the autobiography of an la gang member: The Future Once Happened Here Fred Siegel, 2010-10 In The Future Once Happened Here, Fred Siegel tells an incredible story about the fate of America's most influential cities; New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Standing as metaphors for America's urban life because of their stature as nerve centers of the nation, these three cities - once celebrated for their excitement and creativity as well as their ability to incorporate immigrants and solve the nation's problems - were all caught up in the social policies born in the '60s and '70s and, as a consequence, faltered badly in dealing with the politics of race and the quality of their residents' lives in the '80s and '90s. Each of Siegel's three urban portraits shows the desperate remedies undertaken by cities searching for a lifeline back to the future whose promise they once seemed to embody. In a narrative that acknowledges the large historical forces that have remade the face of America over the last three decades, but insists that social policies are not merely foregone conclusions waiting to happen, Siegel holds up a mirror to our urban naure and tells us much about the way we live now. |
Autobiography | Definition, History, Types, Examples, & Facts
Apr 25, 2025 · autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not …
Autobiography - Wikipedia
An autobiography, [a] sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, …
25 Best Autobiographies to Read in 2024 - Reader's Digest
Oct 5, 2024 · Reading great autobiographies can scratch that curious itch, as we get to walk through a person’s life with them serving as our guide. To help you find the best …
How to Write an Autobiography: Where to Start & What to Say - wikiHow
Feb 24, 2025 · To write an autobiography, start by making a timeline of your most important life events that you feel you could write about. Then, identify the main characters in your life story, …
Autobiography Definition, Examples, and Writing Guide
Aug 26, 2022 · An autobiography is a nonfiction story of a person’s life, written from their point of view. Autobiographies are popular among the general reading public. A newly released …
Autobiography - Examples and Definition of Autobiography
Autobiography is one type of biography, which tells the life story of its author, meaning it is a written record of the author’s life. Rather than being written by somebody else, an …
Definition and Examples of Autobiography - ThoughtCo
May 24, 2019 · An autobiography is an account of a person's life written or otherwise recorded by that person. Adjective: autobiographical. Many scholars regard the Confessions (c. 398) by …
AUTOBIOGRAPHY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the biography of a person narrated by that person : a usually written account of a person's life in their own words. How to use autobiography in a …
Autobiography in Literature: Definition & Examples
An autobiography (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written biography. The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or …
Autobiography: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.net
Clear definition and great examples of Autobiography. An autobiography is a self-written life story.
Autobiography | Definition, History, Types, Examples, & Facts
Apr 25, 2025 · autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not …
Autobiography - Wikipedia
An autobiography, [a] sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, …
25 Best Autobiographies to Read in 2024 - Reader's Digest
Oct 5, 2024 · Reading great autobiographies can scratch that curious itch, as we get to walk through a person’s life with them serving as our guide. To help you find the best …
How to Write an Autobiography: Where to Start & What to Say - wikiHow
Feb 24, 2025 · To write an autobiography, start by making a timeline of your most important life events that you feel you could write about. Then, identify the main characters in your life story, …
Autobiography Definition, Examples, and Writing Guide
Aug 26, 2022 · An autobiography is a nonfiction story of a person’s life, written from their point of view. Autobiographies are popular among the general reading public. A newly released …
Autobiography - Examples and Definition of Autobiography
Autobiography is one type of biography, which tells the life story of its author, meaning it is a written record of the author’s life. Rather than being written by somebody else, an …
Definition and Examples of Autobiography - ThoughtCo
May 24, 2019 · An autobiography is an account of a person's life written or otherwise recorded by that person. Adjective: autobiographical. Many scholars regard the Confessions (c. 398) by …
AUTOBIOGRAPHY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the biography of a person narrated by that person : a usually written account of a person's life in their own words. How to use autobiography in a …
Autobiography in Literature: Definition & Examples
An autobiography (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written biography. The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or …
Autobiography: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.net
Clear definition and great examples of Autobiography. An autobiography is a self-written life story.
