Analysis of Book by Luis J. Rodriguez

Introduction

When Luis gets involved in a gang, he makes some poor choices but eventually realizes the error of his ways and leaves the gang. The title of the book is Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book begins with Luis recalling a day when he was nine years old, on his way to Union Station with his family. Luis also recounts his participation in an LA gang. He is often misunderstood in English and seeks comfort and protection in gangs. He is also treated very unfairly by the teachers at his high school and says that they favor the whites. Eventually, he starts to believe in himself, exits gang life, and marries Camilla. Just because you join a gang doesn’t mean it will end badly; in my opinion, sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't.

Analysis of Book by Luis J. Rodriguez

Luis’ life as a gang member isn’t what it seems to be. When he marries Camilla, he is no longer part of gang life and marries the girl he truly loves, having a child with her (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 243). Luis advises Chava to let go of his hatred for the gang and live the life he has left (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 238). This relates to the thesis because life isn’t what you think it is; it has many ups and downs, and you never know where you may end up. Therefore, joining a gang doesn’t automatically mean that it will end badly. Sometimes, the people you think are your friends aren’t really your friends. When fellow gang members stop in front of Luis and fire shots at him from point-blank range (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 140), it shows that if they were truly his friends, they wouldn’t have shot at him at all.

Luis sees the police beating a woman and intervenes, leading to his arrest and imprisonment (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 144). The woman he saves doesn’t want to be his friend and never wants to see him again because he is too old for her. This incident further emphasizes that the gang members weren’t really his friends, allowing Luis to leave his gang life knowing they weren’t genuine friends. Therefore, being in a gang doesn’t mean it will end badly. Luis and his brother Rano are very different and grow apart from each other. They usually play together, with Luis often getting hurt, highlighting their differences (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 14). Rano excels at sports, school, and academics, contrasting sharply with Luis’s involvement in a gang (Rodriguez, 1993, p. 16). Despite these differences, it doesn’t end badly for Luis, showing that people can have diverse paths and outcomes.

Conclusion

If you join a gang, it won’t necessarily end badly. Life has many ups and downs, and it’s not always what you make it out to be. Luis associated himself with his gang friends who he thought were his friends. Luis and Rano are two very different people who grow apart, but Luis eventually comes to his senses and gets his life back on track. I thought this was a great book. In relation to the real world, we should learn that gangs are detrimental and not a source of comfort or protection. We should also learn that gangs and drugs don’t always end tragically. The last thing we should learn is that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve great things. When Luis believed in himself, he won $250 and a plane ticket to Berkeley in a writing contest and was hired by a college professor to paint a mural. He even ends up going to college on a grant. All it takes is a little belief in yourself, and you will be able to accomplish everything.

References

Rodriguez, L. J. (1993). Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. Simon & Schuster.