{"product_id":"always-running-la-vida-loca-gang-days-in-l-a","title":"Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe award-winning and bestselling classic memoir about a young Chicano gang member surviving the dangerous streets of East Los Angeles, now featuring a new introduction by the author.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWinner of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, hailed as a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e notable book, and read by hundreds of thousands, \u003ci\u003eAlways Running\u003c\/i\u003e is the searing true story of one man's life in a Chicano gang--and his heroic struggle to free himself from its grip. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy age twelve, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East Los Angeles gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests and then watched with increasing fear as gang life 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAchieving success as an award-winning poet, he was sure the streets would haunt him no more--until his young son joined a gang. Rodriguez fought for his child by telling his own story in \u003ci\u003eAlways Running, \u003c\/i\u003e a vivid memoir that explores the motivations of gang life and cautions against the death and destruction that inevitably claim its participants. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt times heartbreakingly sad and brutal, \u003ci\u003eAlways Running\u003c\/i\u003e is ultimately an uplifting true story, filled with hope, insight, and a hard-earned lesson for the next generation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe son of Mexican immigrants, Luis J. Rodriguez began writing in his early teens and has won national recognition as a poet, journalist, fiction writer, children's book writer, and critic. Currently working as a peacemaker among gangs, Rodriguez helped create Tia Chucha's Café \u0026amp; Centro Cultural, a multiarts, multimedia cultural center in the northeast San Fernando Valley. He is the recipient of the 2021\u003ci\u003e Los Angeles Times \u003c\/i\u003eRobert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement. Visit him at LuisJRodriguez.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Atria\/Primero Sueno Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50583596204306,"sku":"9780743276917","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_34b1d893-b4aa-4e53-ba07-891fc731e7c0.jpg?v=1732029966","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/always-running-la-vida-loca-gang-days-in-l-a","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}