Monster: The Autobiography of a Los Angeles Gang Member “Where I come from, to be depressed you had to to be “in”” (Shakur, 226). This quote, from Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur (aka Monster Kody Scott), speaks to the mindset of those who grew up in the concrete jungle of South Central LA. This powerful tale of the triumph of the human spirit over insurmountable odds. brings the reader into the daily battles for survival. His story begins with his early gang life (initiated at the age of 11), runs through his teenage years (mostly spent in various correctional facilities), and ends with his transformation into a member of the New Afrikan Independence Movement. When Kody Scott was 6 years old, gang warfare began in Los Angeles. It started as a battle between the Crips and the Bloods, but through the late 70s and into today, the biggest killers of Crips are other Crips. The Crip nation was divided into different divisions, which Monster compares to the United States Army. "For example, one who is in the army can belong to the F...