CITATION: Sanchez, R. (2003). Once a king, always a king: The unmaking of a latin king. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. IDENTIFYING #: ISBN 1556525052
CLASSIFICATION: NONFICTION
CALL #: 921 SANCHEZ
GENRE: BIOGRAPHY
RECOMMENDED AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: ADULT
RATING: 5
Annotation: In this sequel to My Bloody Life, Reymundo Sanchez struggles to escape gang life.
Summary: Lil Loco gets jumped out of the Kings in a process called a "Violation", but although he is no longer an active member, he is affiliated and the gang even uses his home as "headquarters", kicking him out of his own place when they meet because he is no longer a King. Now known as Rey Rey, he's avoiding the violent confrontations of his days as an active member, but drugs still have a powerful hold on him, and the abuse he has suffered makes him want to escape. Eventually Reymundo goes to prison. Even though he is no longer a King, his affiliation with the gang earns him respect and protection while in prison. When he finally gets out, he falls in love with a different kind of girl, but the cycle of violence is hard to break, and the relationship ends because of his abuse. It's a testament to his character though, that Reymundo doesn't WANT to keep making the same mistakes. He knows it's not right, and keeps working at living differently and to become the kind of man he wants to be.
Notes: This book deals with graphic violence, gang activity, sex and drug use. Sanchez shows us that even getting out of a gang alive doesn't change your life. That only changes through hard work and struggle, and that struggle is a painful one. The great difficulty Sanchez describes though, makes his message all the more helpful, because it shows how even though there were times of failure, he kept trying, and finally did achieve a more peaceful life.
