Product Description
By age twelve, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East L.A. gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests, then watched with increasing fear as drugs, murder, suicide, and senseless acts of street crime claimed friends and family members.

Before long, Rodriguez saw a way out of the barrio through education and the power of words and successfully broke free from years of violence and desperation. Achieving success as an award-winning Chicano poet, he was sure the streets would haunt him no more -- until his son joined a gang. Rodriguez fought for his child by telling his own story in Always Running, a vivid memoir that explores the motivations of gang life and cautions against the death and destruction that inevitably claim its participants. At times heartbreakingly sad and brutal, Always Running is ultimately an uplifting true story, filled with hope, insight, and a hard-learned lesson for the next generation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (189)

Don't do drugs.Stay no to gangs.
I can see why this book is so popular among high school students: it provides a graphic, unflinching look at LA gang life in the 1960s, and it ends happily, with Mr. Rodriguez living to tell the tale. Unfortunately, the second half of the story contains too many things that make me question the reliability of its teller. I hope this book helps to keep kids out of gangs and in schools, even if its veracity is suspect.


And yet... the more I think about this, the more I see in it. I think this is actually a depiction of the violence inherent in people, rather than a specific comment on a time and place. The author's main excuse for gangs is unemployment. However, Mr. Rodriguez ends up portraying the police forces as little more than a rival gang with an unslakable bloodlust, though they obviously have jobs. The problem therefore can't be unemployment, unless all positions of power are necessarily corrupt, or the LA sheriffs are abnormally violent people. Other notable instances of violence are when young Luis gets pushed off his roof by his older brother, when a riot erupts at a peace rally, and when Luis upholds the tradition of a yearly brawl at a football. I guess this is the main problem I have with this book. The blame is misplaced. Mr. Rodriguez's gang involvement started before he was in junior high, so his own unemployment couldn't have been a factor. Since his father was well educated and employed, I have to lay the blame at his feet for failing to protect his son and teach him the right way to live. This sad family failure is then repeated between the author and his own son, Ramiro. The whole attitude of "learn from my mistakes; don't do what I did, son" just isn't enough for me.

Always Running
Always Running was required for my English 28 class, and I've got to admit that I found the book very interesting.It gave me a look into gang life in East Los Angeles and the dynamics of that lifestyle.

It's amazing what people endure...
Luis grew up in LA being raised by a Mexican family.He grows up way too quickly and starts stealing and committing crimes before becoming a teen.Soon enough drugs, sex and violence come into play, and lines and territories are divided across neighborhoods.Ultimately he ends up losing most of his friends to shootings and violent acts.He also blames the cops for constantly targeting Mexicans and African Americans.The educational system does not provide proper courses for minorities.They are tracked to take on vocational occupations while whites and Asians are taking English Lit and Trig on the path to college.If we provided protection, safety and good opportunities for these kids then they would not feel the need to join gangs to gain acceptance, protection and a sense of belonging.

La Vida Loca - Still Happening
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 classical throughline and neat conclusions, this book will disappoint.

I enjoyed the author's imagery and the ways he plays with the genre of memoir. What is memory? What do we remember? How do we remember it? For me so much of my memory is just what he provides - little snapshots of moments in time.

From a political/social perspective, this book does a good job of elucidating the reasons kids join gangs and the possible paths out. He talks about gangs as a kind of mass suicide & that's an idea that stuck with me - all these kids looking for family & hating themselves.

In one of those funny moments where influences collide that can happen while reading, I kept thinking of another gang memoir that I read when I was younger. I remembered that it was written by a Puerto Rican guy that grew up in Spanish Harlem & was also about all of the ways that books saved him, but I couldn't remember the name of the book. It was right there on the tip of my tongue. I could remember that the author was named Piri, but that was all. Then I turned a page & there it was - Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas - turns out Luis Rodriguez read that one, too.

This book is also full of shades of Sandra Cisneros - a Chicana writer & poet whose work I've read off & on since her first book - The House on Mango Street. Like Cisneros, Rodriguez' work is full of rhythm & bright color.

I liked this book a great deal, although I don't think it offers any long-term solutions to these problems. Like The Corner, David Simon's killer tome on life on a Baltimore drug corner, this book illustrates the condition. Perhaps education really is the only way out, but to get there we're going to have to spend some money & stop using our educational system to ghettoize people based on class, race, income level, & the phase of the moon on Fridays when the cat's too tired to sing.

The world is a complex & beautiful place & in the end maybe only words can save us.

Poorly Written
This book lacks depth and much-needed perspective.The actual subject matter is interesting, and could have resulted in an incredibly powerful, insightful book.However, he stopped short every time the opportunity for reflection presented itself.As a result, I found myself unable to sympathize with his plight.His transitions from journalistic prose to "poetic" descriptions were jarring and indulgent.Overall, this book was a great disappointment. ... Read more

Product Description

"This poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it-Rodríguez's perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries."-Publishers Weekly on Trochemoche

"While filled with the heart and words of Chicano culture, Rodríguez's poems transcend the scope of race and ethnicity. The topics he addresses in this book-relationships, justice, love, and the irony of daily life-are, or should be, the subjects that envelop us all. It is this universality, cloaked in the specific encounters of his life that make his writing as gripping to readers living in inner-city America as to those living in small-town USA."-Sojourners on Trochemoche

My Nature is Hunger is the first poetry collection in five years by this major award-winning Latino author. It includes selections from his previous books, Poems Across the Pavement, The Concrete River, and Trochemoche, and 26 new poems that reflect his increasingly global view, his hard-won spirituality, and his movement toward reconciliation with his family and his past.

Though Rodríguez is the most authentic voice of the barrio, many reviewers have commented on the universality of his work.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Luis J. Rodríguez grew up in Watts and East Los Angeles. He began writing in his early teens and eventually won national recognition as a poet, journalist, fiction writer, children's book writer, and critic. He is currently working as a peacemaker among gangs on a national and international level. After spending 15 years in Chicago, Rodríguez returned with his family to Los Angeles, where he helped create Tia Chucha's Café & Centro Cultural, a multi-arts, multimedia cultural center in the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Customer Reviews (1)

A must read!
"My Nature is Hunger" reveals a turning point in the continued maturation of Rodriguez as a poet and visionary. The acuity of Rodriguez is still there, but now it is the marked difference between a steak knife, and a scalpel. ... Read more

Product Description
Monchi likes to write poems, hang out with his cousin, and tell stories to his uncle. Then one day, a member of the local gang tells him it's time to join up. Monchi is scared but excited. The older boys give him the handshake, girls talk to him, and even teachers are afraid of him. But when a tragic event changes everything, Monchi must make an important decision. There is no easy answer to his dilemma, but the love and respect of his uncle help him find a way out. Written in both English and Spanish, It Doesn't Have to Be This Way is a compelling tale of a young boy's encounter with the world of gangs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Quick; efficient
I ordered numerous books the same day and this was the first received with invoice and book in great shape. I like efficiency and this seller was definitely efficient.

Little Book...Big Idea
It was the first time I heard the echo of my voice all semester.Why did my own words seem so loud to me?It was because it was the first time I had them all quiet at once.Something had been momentarily stirred in my room of under-supported kids; the kids we typically leave behind.It was their story.Or it was their uncle's story.Maybe the story of a friend.But, many knew these characters.Many knew these issues.And they had finally let me in.With a book, no less.The best way for a teacher to sneak inside.And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.Though it's a picture book, never does it talk down to the reader.It treats all who enter its pages with dignity and respect.And my middle school students returned to it over and over again.That's the true sign of a great book.

Chris Bowen
Author of "Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom"

Must have for any teacher
This book is the best book I have read dealing with the pressures and dangers of joining a gang.The author gives you a realistic view of what it means to be a part of a gang.The story follows a young boys quest to belong.You get to watch this young boy slowly drift away from his familyand friends into the gang lifestyle, until something tragic makes himrealize that it doesn't have to be this way.This book does an incrediblejob of making you realize all that kids go through when faced with pressureto join gangs. This is a book that I am going to use in my classroom toopen the eyes of my students.I believe this book is informing andempowering kids to not join gangs. ... Read more

Product Description
"A los doce años, Luis Rodríguez ya era un veterano de la guerra entre las pandillas de East Los Angeles. Atraído por una cultura pandillera aparentemente insuperable, fue testigo de un sinfín de balaceras, golpizas y arrestos y, más tarde, con un miedo cada vez mayor, presenció cómo las drogas, los asesinatos, los suicidios y una delincuencia callejera carente de sentido cobraban la vida de amigos y familiares.

Poco tiempo después, Rodríguez encontro la manera de dejar atrás la vida del barrio a través de la educación y el poder de las palabras. Así pudo liberarse de años de violencia y desesperación. Una vez alcanzado el éxito como poeta chicano varias veces galardonado, Luis llegé a pensar que las calles ya no lo perseguirían, pero entonces su hijo ingresó en una pandilla. Rodríguez luchó por su hijo mediante el relato de su historia personal. La Vida Loca es una vívida croónica que se adentra en las motivaciones de la vida de las pandillas y nos advierte de la muerte y la destrucción que, tarde o temprano, se lleva la vida de sus participantes.

A ratos desgarradoramente triste y cruel, La Vida Loca es a la larga una historia verdadera, llena de inspiración, esperanza y sabiduría, y una lección duramente aprendida para las nuevas generaciones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

La Vida Loca
El libro la vida loca es un libro bien bueno. El libro setrata de Luis Rodriguez desde que era un pequeño hasta un hombre joven. El libro menciona como Luis se mete en problemas, hace drogas, y se mete en gangas.
Este Libro me gustò mucho por las palabras descriptivas. Las palabras descriptivas me pintan imagines in mi mente.
Yo recomiendo este libro a personas a que les gustan libros de gangas, drogas, y accìon. En este libro hay mucho de eso.

-- Michael

A master piece!
This book was excellent! I read it in just a couple of days. Since I first started I couldn't take my eyes of what I was reading. The story is shocking and rude, yet interesting and mind-opening. It explicitly tells the struggles of growing up in a foreign country with everything against you and yet find the way to a new world full of possibilities. Excellent for tenagers, parents, and students.

what i thought about this book
THIS WAS ONE THAT COULD NOT BE PUT DOWN FOR LONG.I DO NOT READ ALOT BUT I TOOK A GLANCE AT THIS AND CONTINUED READING TILL THE END. IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING GREAT TO READ.MY EYES COULDNT GET ENOUGH. ... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the 1989 Poetry Center Book Award ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

powerful and poignant poetry
Luis Rodriguez's poetry is powerful, sometimes gut-wrenching, honest and vibrant. It is unself-conscious and spontaneous. It sounds like he is just talking in his everyday language, which just happens to be in beautifulpoetic phrases. He is one of our national treasures.His work can be abridge between communities. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the compelling story of Barrios Unidos, the Santa Cruz-based organization founded to prevent gang violence amongst inner-city ethnic youth. An evolving grass-roots organization that grew out of the Mexican-American civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Barrios Unidos harnessed the power of culture and spirituality to rescue at-risk young people, provide avenues to quell gang warfare, and offer a promising model for building healthy and vibrant multicultural communities.

Co-founder Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez spent his childhood following the crops from state to state with his family. His earliest recollection of "home" was a tent in a labor camp. Later, he was drafted in to the Army and sent to Vietnam. "Flying bullets, cries of anguish and being surrounded by death have a way of giving fuel to epiphany. This war made as little sense to me as the war raging on the streets of the barrios back home." He decided that when he returned home, he would dedicate himself to peace. Nane Alejandrez's story of personal transformation, from heroin-addicted gang banger to social activist and youth advocate, is closely tied to that of Barrios Unidos.

Through interviews, written testimonies, and documents, Frank de Jesus Acosta re-constructs the development of Barrios Unidos--or literally, united neighborhoods--from its early influences and guiding principles to its larger connection to the on-going struggle to achieve civil rights in America. Today, Barrios Unidos chapters exist in several cities around the country, including San Francisco; Venice-Los Angeles; Salinas; San Diego; Washington, DC; Yakima; San Antonio; Phoenix; and Chicago.

With a foreword by Luis Rodriguez, former gang member and author of La Vida Loca: Always Running, the book also includes historical photos and commentaries by leading civil rights activists Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, Tom Hayden, Manuel Pastor, and Constance Rice. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in peace and social justice, The History of Barrios Unidos gives voice to contemporary inter-generational leaders of color and will lead to the continuation of necessary public dialogue about racism, poverty, and violence. ... Read more

Product Description

Ya sea en la comiquísima y filosofaclora voz de un chófer de limusina cuyo sueño es mejorar su grupo amateur de "rap-metal" en "Mi Carro, Mi Revolució", o en la diatriba en forma de monólogo de Ysela, una evangelista de carpa que da tes-ti-mo-nio en "Oiga", Rodríguez halla humor en las vidas de personajes que no están dispuestos a sacrificar sus sueños debido a las circunstancias que los rodean.

Rodríguez le da una voz elocuente al barrio donde pasó muchos años de su vida como padre, organizador y finalmente escritor: un vecindario que le ofrece al mundo más de lo que su apariencia sugiere.

Product Description
large volume of poetry, American Book Award Winner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the Greatest
That poem, "The Concrete River" is one that I go back to all the time. This is a great collectio by a great poet. Everyone should own a copy.

REVIEW QUOTES
"Luis J. Rodríguez, an important new voice, writes of the barrio, the steel mills and gangs...In his bag of tools, his words, Rodríguez knows just which to use to chisel well-sculpted poetry. His is the gift of sharing." --Sara Sanderson, The Indianapolis News

"...the poems in this volume...have a brutal yet shimmering intensity that registers the poignant humor and pathos of many Chicanos' lives." --Anne C. Bromley, American Book Review

"This poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it--Rodríguez' perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries." --Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Product Description
In his interview, Luis Rodríguez explains that the demonization and false glorification of gang life has done much disservice to the termination of gang activity, activity which he defines as "90% boredom." What's the key to reducing gang violence and improving inner-city lives? To the dissolution of jail time as a right of passage? Part of the solution lies in providing better education, in teachers able to tap into and help direct the overlooked creativity of inner-city communities. A great responsibility lies, as well, in a national understanding and support for communities bound by poverty, and in encouraging people to work together to help people work for themselves.Amazon.com Review
We've heard about drive-by shootings and territorial battles in the news. "East Side Stories" brings the code, the lives, the words, and the hope of actual gang members to light in this stunning collection of essays, photographs, and an interview of ex-gang member Luis Rodriguez, now the author of five books and the recipient of several major awards. The labyrinthine rules and codes of gang life are examined and explained, while intimate photographs of "gang bangers" in their homes and with their families put a human face on what is, for many of us, just another story in the afternoon newspaper.

Luis Rodriguez explains in his interview that the demonization and false glorification of gang life has done much disservice to the termination of gang activity, activity which he defines as "90% boredom." What's the key to reduction of gang violence and improvement of inner-city lives, to the dissolution of prisons as a right of passage? Part of the solution lies in providing better education by informed and supportive teachers who are able to tap into the overlooked creativity in inner-city communities. And a great part lies in nationally understanding and supporting communities bound by poverty, and encouraging people to work together to help people work for themselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

a good book but i wish it had more....
i read the book in about 2 days. most of it is pictures, which is what i like to see in gang books since you do not see alot of pics in gang books... i think the book could have had more stories from the members in the book..but then again in the book the members did request certain things to not be said or photgraphed. the book is short... lots of pics. the author said he mostly wanted to center on the family and what they go thru... which when i bought the book, i wanted to hear more about the members and what they go thru instead of the family. it's pretty self explanatory what a family will go thru if their kid is involved in anything bad...

the author also complains about in his book how he pretty much refused to take pics of violence or the members showing some guns or other things. he said for some reason violence sells... he wanted to photograph a diff side of the culture i guess, the non-violent side... as a reader of these books, i do like to see some of the violent stuff since like i said, there is hardly any pics in these kind of books... i'm not saying i want to see a photo of a crime in action, but i like to see the members, the tattoos... match a face to the name in the book.. which in this book, you can do sometimes...

it's gets the 4 stars cuase of some of things i pointed out that i didn't like... but it's a good read...

Too many pictures
One would think that this book would describe gang life more thoroughly. But, well over half the pages are pictures. Also, a lot of the rest of the pages either have a only few sentences or they are totally blank. I am very disappointed.

GREAT BOOK!!!!
It doesn't get any more real than this!!I really enjoyed this book.It lets you really get to know the people in the book who are real and not just some made up characters. I hope to see more of these type of books from Joseph Rodriguez.I also like the idea that someone made above about the author doing an update to this book.That would be great!!!

Finally the truth
Finally someone writes a book and tells the truth i grew up in East los and believe me it was hard but something we chose,we chose to gangbang and finally someone was real about it and wrote this book showing the way it really is and what we really go threw.........THANKS,VBTP

The Same Neighborhood
I live in East L.A., and I know two of the young guys that were in the book. This is what life for us is really like.Im 19, and the guys that came out in the book are around 22 now. I think that this guy has come a reallylong way and hopefully when he looks back at this book he will realize thathe has turned into a better and smarter person.The author has my support inwhatever he does. To come here to the neighborhood and write about whatgoes on in here is opening society's eyes to the everyday struggles andpressures that our young Chicano men have to go through. Behind everypicture that Joseph has taken there is a story,and the people that livethrough it are the authors. I am sure that Josephhas some how helpedthese guys, because when I first met Porky the first thing he told me wasthat Pony and him had came out in a book!I think that this book should beupdated and see how everyone is doing now.I recommend this book to anyonethat wants to see some of the hardships of life.Pony died after this bookwas made but his smile and memory are always with me.When you see his facein this book don't think of it as another gang member, but as someone whowas sill a kid that got caught up in the gang life. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Luis J. Rodriguez, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 5588 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

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Customer Reviews (4)

Sags Under the Weight of Its Didacticism
Heavily based on the author's own experiences working at Bethlehem Steel and running with L.A. barrio street gangsters, this multigenerational novel often sags under the weight of its sociopolitical message. I'm a big fan of the novel as social history and of social realism -- and when the book sticks to those elements, it largely succeeds. However, it often slips into awkward didactic lectures about capitalism and social justice.

In the first third of the book, we meet teenage Procopio Salcido in the 1940s, as he leaves his drought-ridden Mexican state for a better life in the U.S., eventually making his way to L.A. and landing a job at a huge steel mill. The story of his journey, especially his involvement with striking miners in Arizona, is quite compelling. Similarly, the initial descriptions of the mighty mill at work, and the racial divisions between the men who work there, are fascinating.

The middle third of the book follows Procopio's tearaway son Johnny, who, as a teenager, becomes involved with a local Chicano street gang. After a stint in jail, he joins his father and brothers at the mill, and embarks on his own journey. This builds up to the central plotline -- Johnny's leadership of a multiethnic coalition to challenge the good-old-boy racist union leadership in the early '70s. The various cultural divisions are all handled fairly well, as is Johnny's slowly growing interest in Communism. The constant threat of an industrial "accident" engineered by the scheming racists who wish to maintain their (im)balance of power at the plant looms large throughout.

Set in the late '80s, the final third of the book revolves around Johnny's daughter Azucena, whom we see veer from good girl to drug addicted teenage mother. This parallels the collapse of big steel in the U.S., the closure of the plant, and the ensuing unemployment and social devastation. Her journey from gangbanger arm candy to indigenous culture activist and torch song singer is both less interesting and more cliched in many ways than the previous histories of Procopio and Johnny.

As social history, some of this is quite interesting. The sections that take place in the steel mill itself are excellent recreations of a lost time and place, and vividly evoke the blood, sweat, and stoicism of heavy industrial work. However, one has to slog through so many heavy handed explanations of class and racial oppression that most readers will probably not find it worth the energy it takes. It's a shame, because although I am personally sympathetic to the broad progressive message of the book, I can't bring myself to recommend it.

a stunning work of social justice, ethnic pride and personal liberation
"Music of the Mill" is a visionary work.Luis J. Rodriguez has created a novel of social justice, ethnic identity and personal liberation.Moving with electrifying pace, "Music" invites the reader to explore seen and unseen worlds--steel mills, barrio streets, yearnings of the heart--and compels engagement through a series of engrossing characters.Thematically rich, the novel ultimately belongs to those who believe that working-class people are capable of transforming themselves, and in so doing, change a nation.

It is not surprising that the author has received inspiration from John Steinbeck, Theodore Dreiser and James T. Farrell.Following in the footsteps of these men, Rodriguez uses social realism, industrial conflict and immigration as the backdrops to his exploration of the Salcido family's physical and spiritual journey.From the patriarch Procopio's determination to seek a better life in the United States to his granddaughter Azucena's struggle with her Chicana identity, "Music" unrelentingly analyzes the possibilities and costs of Americanization, the impact of large-scale industries and the human dynamics of families operating under the most severe psychological pressures.

Courage abounds in "Music."There is the courage of Porcopio, who uproots himself from Mexico and steadfastly creates a new life for his American-born children as a steelworker in the ironically named Nazareth mill.His son, Johnny, exemplifies the courage of sacrifice and commitment; a self-reformed streetwise tough, Johnny rejects the Social Darwinism imposed by the mill.Instead, he opts for social reform and personal integrity.His quiet, unwavering commitment to equality and dignity in the workplace is iconic.Johnny's daughter, Azucena, demonstrates a different type of courage.Assimilated but rootless, spiritually impoverished and angry, Azucena's life spirals out of control.Yet, in acts of nearly invisible strength, she summons a rekindled ethnic awareness to save her own life.

This is not a tidy book.Characters have genuine flaws, and their defects often impede their growth.The miseries of alcohol and drug addiction, poverty and gang warfare often destroy otherwise decent people.It is to Rodriguez' credit that he perceives these indices of social degradation as the outcroppings of a capitalistic society; the Nazareth steel mill is naturalistically indifferent to the sufferings of its workers and the city of Los Angeles takes little action to stop young Mexican-Americans from killing each other."Music" shows how people, faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, can muster the strength to challenge social evil.If there is any justice gained by people like Johnny and his resourceful, wise wife Aracely, it is imperfect and hard-earned.

Three generations ago, the Joad family captured the national imagination in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."Luis J. Rodriguez inspiring, gritty "Music of the Mill" will remind us that novelists can create works that remind us that liberty, equality and justice are forged by people like the Salcidos.In honoring their struggle, Rodriguez refines our national purpose.

comments from a former "Nazareth Steel" worker
I worked at Bethlehem Steel's Los Angeles Plant, the setting of Mr. Rodriguez's novel, in the mid-seventies. It was a searing experience that has haunted me for thirty years. No one who didn't work in it can possibly fathom what went on in American heavy industry. Rodriguez's remembered knowledge of the mill operations is remarkable, and his descriptions of the physical conditions and sensations of steelworking shot bolts up my spine. As an editor, I have some bones to pick with the story line, but not with the author's ferocious passion or narrative competency. He means what he says, and he knows what he's talking about.

Michael Lecky
Harvard, MA

Three generations in"el-lay"
Mr. Rodriguez attempts (with mixed results) to relate the story of three generations of one Mexican American family's life in working class Los Angeles.The center of the story is the steel mill which has provided the family with an income until its closure.
Having grown up in Los Angeles, I enjoyed the descriptions of places and events which I can recall.The final section of the novel weakens slightly, but only because it seems to cover as much ground with a shorter amount of words.***Get Ry Cooder's CD "Chavez Ravine" and play it as a soundtrack! *** ... Read more

Product Description
This is a mildly used video in the Lannan Literary Series. 60 minutes. Great for classroom use. Usually ships on the day of the order. ... Read more

Product Description

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.

Rodriguez covers fertile ground, but does so in a rather bland and predictable manner. Perhaps the author is right that the people of East L.A. simply endurewhat comes their way, but without giving us more engagement between the subjects and their action, The Republic of East L.A. seems inhabited less by people than by characters. --Michael Ferch ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Interesting Barrio Stories
I live in East LA, so the title alone caught my attention.Each chapter is a short story and depicts the lives of Chicanos in and around East Los.Some stories were sad, others happy but all of them made me smile when they referenced streets or buildings in the neighborhood. I'm very much into Chicano/Latino literature and would highly recommend this book.

A funny, sad, hardened, compassionate, romantic, erotic, political portrait of East LA, painted beautifully by Rodgriguez
This is my second Rodriguez book, following Always Running, and I think I'm hooked on him, now.Each short story is impossible to turn away from, and each represents a different sub culture of East LA's Chicano and Mexican cultures.Most importantly, however, each represents a different character and personality, within each of these subcultures.Modern American entertainment tends to lump all minority characters into one revolving cyborg, as if they're all connected to the same brain.Rodriguez's answer to that is introducing us to the real people of East Los Angeles and their real feelings, not only toward America, but toward each other.About as far as mainstream American folkore goes with the latter is the drive by gang war.Rodriguez doesn't leave that out either.But he gives us a different look, one from the "locas", or the women.The issues they face, ranging from violent to romantic to family neglect, will not give you the time to wonder, "what do they see in these guys, anyway?".And to think, we're distracted from this question just reading the book; imagine being in their shoes...

It's this kind of writing that makes people like Rodriguez so important to America today, as unfortunately, stories of culture in places like East Los Angeles die on a vine before reaching the American mainstream household or entertainment venue, which leaves the role of messenger to Hollywood film producers and book publishers, who more often than not give us their own version.What else could explain most mainstream productions of Latino, black, or Asian culture?

Very moving literature
I really didn't know what to expect from the book when I got it.I was going on a guess that I would like it having already read the author's previous book Always Running.But the characters are so real and one can see them so clearly and draw on their experiences.I am not from East L.A. so the culture is different from my own in many ways, yet Rodriguez has allowed the reader to empathize with the characters so easily.My favorite story was "Finger Dance," which is about a father called Chi Cho who put his whole soul into his metal work and artistry and "who was feared, respected, and to be honest, just plain ornery," but somehow missed making an important connection with his children (77).As the father's health declines due to dementia and cancer, his son Arturo finds a way of connecting to his father in a way that is very moving.No one can read this story (as well as the other stories), and somehow not come away moved and very impressed.

Great Book
The Republic of East L.A. is incredible because it talks about the truths of East L.A. Some stories are hard to believe because it is so gruesome and tragic. For example, on page 63, a sixteen-year-old girl named Noemi got raped by some vatos. Furthermore, on page 229, there were women who sold themselves for sex in order to obtain money. However, there are parts of the story that are just funny. For example, on page 64, a freshman girl named Olivia fought over a seat and got suspended. We would recommend The Republic of East L.A because it has an exciting mixture of settings, emotions, and characters. We recommend this book because it talks about betrayal, love, and tragedy. Overall, this book is worth reading.

Outstanding book
It's rare to find new literature about Chicanos in Los Angeles. Most I've found is set in the years from 1920 to 1970. This was a breath of fresh air.

I must admit that I hadn't heard of Luis J. Rodriguez before I read the books. What first attracted me to the book was the pretty girl on the cover. While the stories were compelling to me as a Chicano, I think the true beauty of the author's work is a truth that transcends racial and socio-economic background and most importantly, age.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Chicago Poetry At It's Best
This one is not to be missed. If you love poetry you will love this combination of Pulitzer Prize Winners and Saloon Poets. A hundred poets are featured here, each with a distinct voice.This anthology shows whyChicago is America's poetry capital. With work by local artists such asMarvin Tate, Cincy Salach, and Quraysh Ali Lansana, jumbled in togetherwith national names such as Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka and GwendolynBrooks, what results is a read that doesn't allow you to put the book down. This is not your mother's poetry; this is modern, 21st century, powerful,important work.These are the poems your grandchildren will be studying inthe future American Poetry textbooks.This volume represents all races,creeds and colors, all social backgrounds, all variety of life spicedtogether with a climax by Christopher Stewart. Even if you don't likepoetry you will like Power Lines.This book should become standard readingfor all contemporary poetry courses.The poets in this book are our starsof today and the stars of tomorrow.There isn't a single poem in thisanthology that doens't deserve a standing ovation. It speaks of Chicago andof America.It speaks of our time and the changing times.It speaks witha voice so profound it can not be ignored.I, personally, could not put itdown until I reached the final poem, Larry Winfield's Any Day In June. Then I had to read it again to convince myself a poetry book could be thatentertaining.I have read thousands of books and this is the freshestthing I have seen in years.My eyes are wide open to see what Tia ChuchaPress is going to do next. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Social Justice, published by Crime and Social Justice Associates on December 22, 1997. The length of the article is 6792 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Adults need to develop a sincere relationship with the youth to prevent violence in the community. The youth are often confused about their life experiences and need guidance from the elders. They are deprived of having the chance to envision their future because of their violent environment. Thus, adults and volunteers should try to extend a helping hand and an open heart by providing the youth with decent health care, academic tutors, a safe environment for learning and socializing and develop their skills for future jobs.

Citation Details
Title: Hearts and hands: a new paradigm for work with youth and violence.(Losing a Generation: Probing the Myths & Reality of Youth and Violence)
Author: Luis J. Rodriguez
Publication: Social Justice (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1997
Publisher: Crime and Social Justice Associates
Volume: v24Issue: n4Page: p7(14)

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