Always Running By Luis Rodriguez Sparknotes

Luis Rodriguez is a writer and poet that had a much different upbringing than many other known authors. He faced many adversities in his lifetime dealing with racism, poverty, and gang influences. Being a first generation American, he struggled staying on the right path and got involved in gangs very early with his two older brothers. He focuses his writing on personal events to help troubled teenagers realize that there is more to life than joining a gang and spending their time in and out of jail. Although it is unknown when Mr. Rodriguez was born, it is known that he was born on the United States and Mexico boarder in 1954. At the age of two, the Rodriguez family migrated to South Central Los Angeles then to San Gabriel Valley when Luis

Rodriguez’ first books, Poems Across the Pavement and The Concrete River were published in 1989 and 1991 after getting involved with a poetry publisher that also helped him found a multi-arts organization. Luis Rodriguez claimed in multiple interviews that writer, John Fante and poet, Charles Bukowski were his greatest influences in his writing and he often considered them his heroes. In 1992, Luis Rodriguez’ main focus was writing the book, Always Running, once he received word that his fifteen year old son recently joined a gang.Wanting his children to grow up without becoming involved with drugs or gangs, he based Always Running off of his involvement in East Los Angeles Gangs attempting to inform his children and other troubled teenagers of what they were getting into. The book was published in 1993 and received great praise. Mr. Rodriguez quit his job at the People’s Tribune at the age of 39 to dedicate his life to writing and promoting his books. All of Luis Rodriguez’ books have the same overall theme, morality and reality. He wants his writing to portray his own imagination and truths that he grew up around. He traveled all over the world as a known author and poet in Rome, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Holland, Austria, Germany, Nicaragua, and

He ran for Governor this past November election but unfortunately did not win the election. He wrote on his website, LuisRodriguez.com , that although he didn’t win, he helped lay a foundation for a new movement of issues that matter.  Today, his poetry has won a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, “Foreward” Magazine’s silver book award, and a Lannan Fellowship for poetry award. Mr. Rodriguez’ children’s books also won two “Skipping Stone” honor awards and a parent’s choice award. Luis Rodriguez has ten nationally published books and is referred to as a leading Chicano writer after receiving the Hispanic Heritage Award for