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Biography & Autobiography Criminals & Outlaws

My Bloody Life

The Making of a Latin King

by (author) Reymundo Sanchez

Publisher
Chicago Review Press
Initial publish date
Jul 2000
Category
Criminals & Outlaws
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781556524011
    Publish Date
    Jul 2000
    List Price
    $36.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781569762325
    Publish Date
    Apr 2007
    List Price
    $16.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781556524271
    Publish Date
    Jul 2000
    List Price
    $18.95

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Description

Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs, alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one breath will say they’ll die for you and in the next will order your assassination.

About the author

Contributor Notes

Reymundo Sanchez is the pseudonym of a former Latin King who no longer lives in Chicago.

Editorial Reviews

“A viciously candid, self-deprecating memoir.” —Chicago magazine

“A slow-motion riot of drugs, sex, and gunplay.” —Publishers Weekly

“Sanchez writes plainly and powerfully.” —Booklist

“A brutal, chilling firsthand account of how a young person who is raised without positive family values will reach out to a gang to find a support system and a substitute family. This book offers new insights into what lures kids into gangs and how difficult it can be for them to get out alive. It shockingly explains how difficult life can be for disadvantaged youngsters and demands that we make a greater effort at improving their lives.” —Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and founder of the Jesse White Tumblers, an anti-gang and -drug program