Runing

Always Running, by Luis T. Rodriguez, is a book based on a certain chapter of the author's life story. Rodriguez's life was centered in the fact that he was involved in gang life during his teen years. Like the title of his book, 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 innumerable 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 little events and influences into a full-fledged hardcore gangster life.

Luis Rodriguez's childhood life started out by the constant torture and beating that his older brother, Rano, inflicted upon him. Rano would push Luis off the roof of the house, knocking the wind out of the poor kid or smashing a metal bucket onto his head causing a gash in Luis' 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 rope. The abuse that Rano imposed on his younger brother also inspired the children of the barrio, or neighborhood to torment Luis.