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  • Essay / Book Analysis by Luis J. Rodriguez

    When Luis gets involved with a gang, he does stupid things and eventually realizes his ways and gets out of the gang. The title of the book is Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. The book begins with Luis remembering a day when he was 9 years old and walking to Union Station with his family. Luis also recounts his involvement in a Los Angeles 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 claims that they favor white people. Then later he starts to believe in himself, gets out of the gang life and marries Camilla. Just because you join a gang doesn't mean it will end badly and in my opinion sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Luis's life as a gang member is not what it makes it out to be. “Luis marries Camilla.” (Pg. 243) This is because when he marries Camilla, he is no longer part of the gang's life and marries the girl he truly loves and has a child. “Drop the hate, Chava, go on and live the life you have left.” (Pg. 238) This ties into Luis telling Chava to let go of all the hatred towards the gang and live the rest of his life. This ties in with the thesis because life is not what you think, it has many ups and downs, and you never know where you might end up. Therefore, if you join a gang, it does not automatically mean it will end badly. Sometimes the people you think are your friends really aren't. “One day, other members of the gang stopped in front of Luis and shot him at point blank range.” (P. 140) This relates to the fact that if his gangmates were truly his friends, they wouldn't shoot him at all. “Luis sees the police beating a woman, he intervenes and is arrested and taken to prison.” (Pg. 144) This relates to the fact that the woman he saves from the police beating her does not want to be his friend and never wants to see him again because he is too old for her. This ties in with the thesis because the gang members weren't really his friends and he walks away from his gang life knowing that they weren't real friends. Therefore, being part of a gang does not mean it will end badly. Luis and his brother are very different and grow from each other. “That’s where Rano and I usually play, usually with Luis injured.” (Pg. 14) This relates to this because Rano and Luis usually play with Luis injured and Rano getting injured in the street, meaning they are very different. “Rano is 16 years old and excels in sports, school and studies.” (Pg. 16) This is relatable because Luis is involved in a gang and Rano is very different, but it doesn't end badly for Luis. Therefore, Luis and Rano are very different people. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay If you join a gang, it won't necessarily end badly. Life has a lot of ups and downs and it's not what you make it out to be. Luis associated 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 it was a great book. Compared to the real world, we should learn that gangs are bad and should not find comfort or protection. We should also understand that gangs and drugs don't always end tragically. The last thing we should learn is that if you believe in yourself, you can do.