Always Running: Memoir Analysis and Socio-Political Context

This essay provides an analysis of Luis Rodriguez's memoir, "Always Running." The memoir recounts Rodriguez's early life in Los Angeles, his involvement in gang life, and his eventual transformation. The essay explores the key themes of poverty, family, discrimination, and violence, and examines Rodriguez's writing style, which is characterized by raw honesty and lyricism. The analysis also delves into the socio-political context of the memoir, highlighting the impact of systemic racism and the factors that contributed to the rise of gangs in 20th-century Los Angeles. Furthermore, it discusses the memoir's purpose, which is to warn Rodriguez's son about the dangers of gang life and to offer a broader commentary on the struggles of minority groups. The essay also references the author's journey from gang member to poet, publisher, and editor, emphasizing the memoir's value as a historical and personal account.

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Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
In the early 1990s, the writer Luis Rodriguez was inspired for writing a memoir on his
early life in Los Angeles, named “Always Running” after when he learn that his only son,
named Ramiro is getting involve in the “La Vida Loca” or according to Luis- “the life of a
cholo or gang affiliate”. This memoir was written by him to awaken Ramiro to the dangers of
the gang life. Luis was aware of the gang life as because of the fact that he spend his initial
years in Los Angeles, where he got engaged got engaged in some mischievous groups
because of living in poverty. Rodriguez started stealing at the age of seven and he joined a
gang when he was just eleven years old. With the same, he also started using drugs gradually
in the age of twelve (Rodriguez). By eighteen, he faced six years of prison sentence as well
and was addicted to heroin. Also, about twenty five friends of Rodriguez had died because of
the barrio gang life in which they were engaged. Notwithstanding these facts, Rodriguez
gradually turned his life around and his “Always Running” depicts his struggle in the gangs
and some of his recoveries from such life.
The main themes of the book are poverty, family, discrimination and violence. It can
be said that “Always Running” is an angry autobiography of Rodriguez who survived the
gang wars of the late sixties and early seventies (Brunner). Nowadays, Rodriguez is a
reputable poet, publisher and well-known editors but when he was in his early teenage years,
he was one of the key participants of the La Vida Loca (“the crazy life”), the experience of
the barrio gang. He has written this memoir to caution his son about the dangers and risks
associated with the clicas before it is too late. For Rodriguez, his childhood was all about
poverty, discrimination and despair, in which the journey of his family from Mexico to
America has brought in memories that stay with Rodriguez “like a foul door” (Salinas).
Rodriguez’s father and his mother offered some stability to his life but that was not enough.
Also, his school added nothing to his life other than some incompetent teachers and some

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very violent playmates. When he was just thirteen years old, Rodriguez tattooed, went deep
into the world of drugs and sex and also experienced severe gang wars. His life was
something that spiralled downward into a hell of the armed robbery, heroin shooting, and
paint sniffing and attempted suicide. Several times he bounced in and out of the prison. It is
to note that one of the most valuable parts of “Always Running” is its socio-political message
regarding the horrible impacts that the oppression of the minorities has on the society. This
message is as poignant in this contemporary world as it was when the book was actually
written. The writer has explained in this book the way systematic racism was used all though
the history of Los Angeles for keeping certain groups of minorities poor, controlled and
disenfranchised by the then oppressors of their. This not only affects the minorities, but also
the oppressors as well. It is the society that created such gangs and then, liven in the fear of
being attacked by them. Also, as stated in his book, Rodriguez took up boxing- “I came to
kill. I rushed up to my opponents and mowed them down”. However, later, when Rodriguez
enrolled into his new high school, he discovered about the student activism. He also became a
student journalist and the president of Chicano Club as well as the spokesman of the
community of Mexican-American student (Metcalf). He also started writing by that time and
had won a literary context, attended the Cal State and turned his life around. However,
looking ahead, he sees a much more uncertain and severe path for his son.
As a preface of such an admirable memoir states, Rodriguez, who is an award
winning poet and the publisher of Tia Chucha, have decided to document his childhood and
teenage days as a gang members of the East Los Angeles, in an effort to caution and awaken
his teenaged son, Ramiro, so that he can get away from the gang life which he have very
recently joined. Rodriguez in his youth have participated in several acts of violence. He was
also imprisoned several times on several different occasions for the crimes that he have
committed. However, unfortunately, the story depicts very little details behind the facts of his

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life as well as the activities in the gang in which he had participated in his early years.
Rodriguez have presented several colourful characters in the book along with highly charged
events like Mexican funerals, shootings, arrests and rapes but his style of writing renders
much of the rich material forgettable. He speaks out of a virtually unheard experience of
himself, a young Chicano man who have survived the “la vida loca” gang culture in the South
San Gabriel. It is also to state that his style of writing is completely raw and at the same time,
is brutally honest. However, it has a lyricism that would stop the readers in their tracks. With
the same, he also gives voice to the unheard cry and brightens the heart breaking cycle of
violence and poverty which conserve the gang warfare. Rodriguez neither admits the defeat
nor try to simplify the problem (Brumble). He have a strong passion for true empowerment
and reconciliation of the minority groups, such as the Mexican American community, is
wobbling. The book is really thought provoking. Reading this book, the readers easily
realises how lucky they are to live the life that they actually live, which is far away for the
world of violence. With the same, the writing technique of Rodriguez is also very effective
(Theisen-Homer). The way in which his words flow from one page to another is really
effective and attractive. Also, all the characters in this book are well put together and are
brutally real and true. The themes of the book, i.e. poverty, family, discrimination and
violence can be seen by even the most casual readers. It is also to mention that, although this
book is the personal account of the gang activity of Rodriguez and the later activism, it is
much a historical account of the several different factors which resulted in the rise of gangs in
the 20th century Los Angeles.
Hence, from the above analysis it is to state that “Always Running” provides a very
intelligent and engaging look into the social-political factors which have resulted in the
proliferation of the street gangs in the last century in the areas where the high proportion of
the citizens have very less opportunities and have significant obstacles. Although the story is

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equitably common, like his parents moved from Mexico to Los Angeles for improving their
lifestyle and despite of putting best efforts his parents were not able to protect Rodriguez
from getting involved into the world of violence and gangs that were surrounding him, the
way the writer has presented the story makes the book valuable and unique. It is also to
mention in this context that Rodriguez have not romanticized the lifestyle of gang- drugs, sex
and crime, the way that most of the other writers would do. Instead, he made use of the true
human emotions and several insights to explain and describe the utter horrors of such a
lifestyle in an attempt to stop any kid from seeking to live it.

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Works Cited:
Brumble, H. David. "Ice-T’s Sense of Redemption and the Gangbanger
Autobiography." Rapper, Writer, Pop-Cultural Player: Ice-T and the Politics of
Black Cultural Production(2016): 231.
Metcalf, Josephine. "Still Running: An Interview with Luis J. Rodriguez." MELUS: Multi-
Ethnic Literature of the United States 40.2 (2015): 158-181.
Rodriguez, Luis J. Always running: La vida loca: Gang days in LA. Simon and Schuster,
2005.
SALINAS, LUPE S. "ALWAYS RUNNING." Immigration and the Law: Race, Citizenship,
and Social Control (2018): 120.
Theisen-Homer, Victoria. "Chasing Personal Meaning: Pedagogical Lessons through Luis
Rodriguez’s Always Running." Schools 11.1 (2014): 34-56.