Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Sep 24, 2007

Matt rated it:

I found out about this book during my time working at Garfield. There were a lot of books in the classroom libraries about gang life, books of poetry by Tupac Shakur, stuff the students prefered as it had to do with, "you know, real life." Which was, in a way, bullshit. I mean, a few of them, maybe could relate to that, and the ones that could were sorry of the fact and didn't flaunt it. One kid I remember, his older brother had been killed in a gang-related shooting. He wasn't a parti More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2007

Courtney rated it:

Luis Rodriguez speaks out of a virtually unheard experience: a young Chicano man who survived "la vida loca" gang culture in South San Gabriel. Rodriguez' writing is raw and brutally honest, but with a lyricism that will stop readers in their tracks. He gives voice to an unheard cry, and illuminates the heartbreaking cycle of poverty and violence that perpetuates gang wars. He neither simplifies the problem, nor admits defeat. His passion for reconciliation and true empowerment of More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2010

Luz added it

ALWAYS RUNNING IS AN AMAZING BOOK
This book is about a young boy named Luis Rodrigues known as the author. It talks about Gang days back in the old days of Los Angeles. This book is based on his real life, some people dont realize how life is because they havent gone through or havent seen anything. Life in Colorado isnt the same as in the south or in other places. its very difficult to live in a time the way Luis did and other people as well. People dont understand that some people stay ho More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 13, 2008

chris rated it:

This is a very vivid, literary memoir about growing up into the gang life in Chicano Los Angeles. It was recommended to me by a student who had read it in juvie, and I can see why he liked it. I think this book, for gang members still in their teens, probably could have a real affect on their lives. I found it to be plain good literature, and it made me think about some of the things that I have always thought about with gangs. For one thing, when I was younger, we always had a group of frie More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2012

Nicole rated it:

Rosie: I picked Always Running La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. I chose this book because one of my favorite topics is reading about how people over came their gang life into becoming a person before it was too late. I found this book to be very good and positive for people who are looking for a way out of the gang life. Seeing someone else’s accomplishments and becoming something that they never thought they would become is inspiring. This book is tough to read sometimes, but in the end, it was More...

0 comments like

Jan 23, 2012

Quaddriyyah rated it:

I had to read this book for a college course last semester. At the beginning I literally hated the fact my professor chose this book for the class to read. I was nowhere near interested in some chicano's gang days life story in L.A. I must say, my pre-judgment totally shut my complaining mouth. This book is wonderful, heart-felt, amazing, it's truly an eye-opener. I honestly feel I have more of an insight look on reason why gang life and activities still exist. It's deeper than I thought, it More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2011

Cynthia rated it:

Who said that Gangsters didn’t have a intellectual side to them?... Well Luis Rodriquez proves that anyone can write. Rodriguez exposes his gangster “Vida loca”,in his Memoir Always Running.

In this memoir he tells a multiple series of stories from when he was born to the time his family ended up migrating in Los Angeles California. He speaks openly about his family struggle in poverty. He explains the meaning of gang nicknames. He exposes, gang life in a way not yet seen.
More...

0 comments like

Oct 26, 2011

Tanner rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Aug 27, 2011

Adriana rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Jun 30, 2011

Evanston Public added it

We’ve seen the headlines, “Gang Violence: Teen Wars Bring Death To Two,” and “Youth, 17, Murdered: Victim Shot In Chest.” Non-fiction ALWAYS RUNNING by best-selling author Luis J. Rodriguez is a first-hand account of what leads up to gang violence and what proceeds. This former gangbanger even gives a shocking eye-witness description of the drugging and raping of young girls somewhere between 12 and 14 years old. Isolated as early as kindergarten, a teenage Rodriguez showed potential as a gifted More...

0 comments like

Dec 17, 2010

Megan(: rated it:

The book always running is about a man, by the name of Luis J. Rodriguez and the struggles he had in his gang days of L.A. After his move from Mexico to America he faces many choices that sometimes may even lead to his death, or the death of other people. In America he also starts to deal with racism. He faces many struggles having to do with cops and the things they were doing wrong to him just because he was Mexican. As he grows however, and starts to get more involved in school, he revol More...

1 comment like

Dec 17, 2010

Raerae rated it:

Always Running is about Luis Rodriguez writing this book for his son to try to save him from having a gang life like luis did. Luis talks about his gang life when he was younger. He moves to The United States from Mexico with his family when he is a young boy. He doesn't live in the nicest neighborhood and he's scared of the gangs that shoot up his school. So he decides to get into a gang to feel some power but then he finds his life spiraling down and he has hard times with rival gangs and s More...

0 comments like

Dec 17, 2010

Jesus rated it:

In the book always runnig la vida loca gang days in LA, the auther talks about how he got into the gangs whe he was just a samll boy. He coments that he has been around death since he was 12 years old. He tells about how he was in between a war the Sangras vs The Lomas. how he would like to get out of that life but every time he got a litle bit away from that life he always seemed to get pulled back into that life. He tells of how he killed to save his own life. One of the things that gets luis More...

1 comment like

Dec 17, 2010

Alejandra rated it:

This book was amazing I think other people should read it because it shows you how hard life could be with you. That it’s not always going to be good/wonderful it’s going to be hard sometimes like Luis J. Rofriguez said in this book when he talked about his life. And this could teach some kids that being in a gang is going to be hard to get in and to get out. Luis had a reason to get in a gang Im not saying it’s ok for a teen to get in a gang but in Luis’s possition there was no other way out t More...

0 comments like

Dec 17, 2010

Kayla rated it:

Always Running can be a sad book and also disterbing at times. This book by Luis J. Rodriguez is about how when he was younger his family moved to america. This book explains about all of the tradages that happend in his life like him loseing someone that ment the world to him which was his brother. He gets involved with gangs and drugs. He starts getting into nothing but trouble. Through out the years he has grown up and began making right choices for himself.

Always Running is not More...

0 comments like

Dec 17, 2010

Amber rated it:

This book is about the boy called Luis Rodriguez, his family move from Mexico to L.A. His father was a principal in Mexico, but after they come to L.A. his father was just a Spanish teacher, and he was afraid of his father so much. His family was so poor. He had to go outside to find a job. When they arrived in America, he didn’t have any friends, he was lonely, because some people didn’t like Mexicans, and some bad guys always laugh at his mom. He must be so sad. And when he was ten, he saw Tin More...

0 comments like

Dec 17, 2010

Zahira rated it:

Always Running is a really great book to read. this book is based on a true story, which it tells us how the gangs in L.A where like. this story makes me realize that theres a lot of gangs here that act the same way as in L.A. i really really liked how the author Luis J. Roriguez chose to tell the story because he tells it in a really truthfull way that the readers could actually undersatnd whats really hapenning and how and why its happening which he makes the story actually sound real and it More...

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2010

Carolina rated it:

I REALLY LIKE ALWAY'S RUNNING BOOK....
Alway's runing is a book that talk's about a real life from this guy name Luis Rodriguez the book is letting now the reader how Luis Rodriguez struggle in his life just by having a mistake joined a gang and getting in poblems with other gang's police and know when he got older with family.After he realiced and knew that been in a gang was not doing him no good he decided to get out of it and start to have an education so that he so that he can be s More...

2 comments like

Nov 29, 2010

Walker added it

I thought this book was really good. Its pretty much about him and what happened during his child hood. His best friend died trying to run away from the cops. His friend climbed on the top of the roof and fell through and died and he got caught. He started to be a drug attic and a criminal. He gotten in a lot of fights and got kicked out of school and tried coming back but he left again. He meet a girl at a carnival that he liked and did stuff with. She was from a different part of the neighbor More...

1 comment like

Sep 28, 2010

Fernanda added it

Fernanda Flores

Kelly

Book Review

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Always Running

By: Luis Rodriguez

"Art is the heart's explosion on the world. Music. Dance. Poetry. Art on cars, on walls, on our skins. There is probably no more powerful force for change in this uncertain and crisis-ridden world than young people and their art. It is the consciousness of the world breaking away from the strangle grip of an archaic soci More...

0 comments like

Jun 02, 2010

Blacknessatyourservice rated it:

Always Running: La Vida Loca is a story about the author, Luis J. Rodriguez. It recounts the life of Luis Rodriguez as he grew up as a rebelling youth. In his youth, he lived a life of drugs, and crime. He also lived a rough life, of racial discrimination because of his Chicano heritage. He committed crimes from as early as age 7, stealing from stores with his brother Rano. However, his brother Rano was very abusive to him, often beating him up in front of other neighborhood boys. All this More...

2 comments like

Jul 11, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I HATE LA. THIS BOOK WAS A REAFFIRMATION OF MY DISDAIN.

I'm glad the main character straightened out his life, but I still hated him. I hated the decisions he made and the drugs that he took. I truly dislike that he chose to live his life that way. I'm sorry that it took him that long to make positive decisions in his life. I understand the experiences that he had made him who he is today, but too many people are pulled in by undertows that they can't escape. Everything about h More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2010

Kala23 rated it:

I thought the book was boring, but twords the end it got a little better. I liked how Luis wasn't scared to admit that he did alot of things wrong, if more parents did that i dont think that our youth would be as messed up. I like how he made the conection from Hispanics and African Americans, we really have alot in commen and its a shame that in these times some of us still cant manage to get over race. I did not really like Luis went from memories of childhood to memories of young adulthood, i More...

1 comment like

Nov 05, 2009

Jessica rated it:

The reason I chose to read this book about gang life in East L.A. was because I have close friends that have been influenced by gangs. My viewpoints about gangs are different to friend's viewpoints on why they remain in them. After reading what it's like to be in one, it's scary to know what they have to go through everyday and what they live for.
One scene in the book that stroke me the most was when the main character rebels against his high school where white people dominate all More...

2 comments like

Apr 12, 2009

Caitlin rated it:

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 cla More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2010

Savage316 rated it:

Always running was a good book at times it can be intresting and disturbing but its the truth of gangs that most people wouldnt know.the book is about luis rodriguez and his hard life in la and gangs it starts with luis's family moving to america to LA.In La luis makes some wrong choices in joing a local gang and does alot of stuff he regrets the book was written in focus to his son in which he wrote the book to tell his son about the truth of gangs and how there not always how they More...

0 comments like

Jan 22, 2008

Cheryl rated it:

I REALLY liked this book. I think Luis Rodriguez is a good writer. It really made me see a Chicano's perspective growing up thru the history and development of Mexican gang life in LA. I even made a low rider oldies mix cd after I read this book reminiscent of my junior high days, haha...I took this book to the juvenile hall that I worked at and the cholitos enjoyed it as well. It's cool to read books by people who grew up in LA and write about it.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2010

Sebas rated it:

I LIKED THIS BOOK
This book is about a man named Luis J. Rodriguez who was introduced to the ganglife when he was twelve years old and now his son is getting involved in to the ganglife. luis doesn't want his son to go through that because he went through the gangs and he fought to stay away from the street to get a good education and to become a poet.

Always Running reminds me of a book that i read it was called My Bloody Life it was about a little boy who also turned to the gan More...

1 comment like

Sep 22, 2011

Bishop rated it:

Everybody needs to read this book. Young people need to read this book for obvious reasons, but adults need to read this book: Parents, because they need to understand what their children are dealing with no matter their socio-economic standing; people of all races, creeds, and cultures who live in the west need to read this book so that we can begin to effectively address the conditions which have created the need - yes, the need for gangs. As the author so accurately points out, it is precis More...

0 comments like

Feb 07, 2010

Matt rated it:

I read this book for a history class about poverty in America and it was perfect for that environment. This really confirmed my opinion that relative poverty is just as unhealthy as absolute poverty. In America, the poor here do have so much more wealth than the poor in developing nations. So it might be easy to have no sympathy for our poor. But urban poverty in wealthy nations like America is some of the most dangerous poverty in the world. There are two reasons for this: 1) to live in th More...

0 comments like

reviews