My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King by Reymundo Sanchez

CITATION: Sanchez, R. (2000). My bloody life: The making of a latin king. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.

IDENTIFYING #: 1556524013
CLASSIFICATION: NONFICTION
GENRE: BIOGRAPHY
CALL #:921 SANCHEZ

RECOMMENDED AGE/GRADE: Adult

RATING:4

Annotation: A true story of gang indoctrination, gang life, propaganda, corruption, and escape.

Summary: The author writes under the pseudonym of Reymundo Sanchez for his own protection. Sanchez details his transformation into a hardened member of one of the most notorious and dangerous gangs, the Latin Kings. Abused horribly by both his mother and stepfather, The Kings seemed to offer the acceptance, respect, protection, and power Sanchez longed for, so at the age of 13, he joins. When he realizes the "family" the Kings offer is an illusion, and that he and all of the lower-ranking members are exploited for the benefit of a few higher-ups, he gets "jumped out". My Bloody Life is a graphic account of gang violence that shows the paradox of "loyal brothers" who will kill for you, or kill you on command from their leader. The book has a sequel, Once a King, Always a King, about how Sanchez' ongoing struggle to escape gang life, and how he had to leave Chicago to get out alive.

Notes: This book is of interest to teens, or even adults, who relate to the false sense of security gangs seem to offer, or who want to know more about this phenomenon.