"Always Running, by Luis T. Rodriguez, is a book based on a specific chapter of the author's life story. Rodriguez's life was centered on the fact that he was involved in gang life during his teen years. Like his book title, he was constantly running, whether it be a crime scene or the police. "La Vida Loca," a Spanish phrase meaning, the crazy life, is the term used in the novel to depict the gang warfare that Rodriguez went through as he was growing up.
             "A crazy life" is a vague and general term used to describe someone's out of the norm life. However, the teen life that Luis Rodriguez went through includes numerous gang shootings, beatings, and arrests, as well as acts of street crimes that cost the lives of his friends and family members. This crazy life, however, did not just pop out of nowhere. It progressively and steadily built from minor events and influences into a full-fledged hardcore gangster life. Luis Rodriguez's childhood life started with the constant torture and beating that his older brother, Rano, inflicted upon him. Rano would push Luis off the house's roof, knocking the wind out of the poor kid or smashing a metal bucket onto his head, causing a gash in Luis's head to spout blood. In another incident, Rano would tie a rope around his brother's head and play cowboy, why yanking and groping on the string. Rano's abuse of his younger brother also inspired the children of the barrio or neighborhood to torment Luis.
             Another major part of Luis's childhood was moving. His family was constantly moving from one city to another. Because of the lack of acknowledging Luis' father's achievements in Mexico, it was hard for him to find a stable job in the United States other than a mere laborer. Each time the family moved, there were new obstacles as a kid to overcome. Over the years of moving from one neighborhood to another, Luis slowly changed. When Luis finally ended up at Garvey Intermediate School, he became a cholo a...