Summary Of Monster: The Autobiography Of An L. A. Gang Member

Monster: A Book Review This is an analysis of Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member. This story was written by notorious Crip gang member Sanyika Shakur aka “Monster Kody” Scott. He tells the story of his initiation into the gang and all of the activity that follows. He spent many years in and out of jail and prison for the various crimes he committed and always maintained his association with the gang. This book was somewhat of an interesting read, in that for the most part it was easy to follow. Sanyika wrote the book in chronological order starting from his upbringing and then initiation into the gang. He then continued through every part of his life including all of the murders he committed and his stays and experience

He had been doing very well after his previous release; he was working and raising his family with his girlfriend. It is hard however for a criminal that has been in the system for so many years as he was to transition to civilian life. Throughout the book there are major themes that the reader can see including family, violence, the justice system as well as religion. While reading this, one can also observe the grammatical errors due to the author’s lack of education but this in my opinion makes the book more realistic because it is his words. At first I was extremely excited to read this autobiography and learn about the gang culture. Having lived in Southern California my entire life, I have heard a great deal about the Crips and the Bloods and their

Monster Kody comes from a family that has some dysfunction. Although his mother made certain decisions in life and was a single, mother I did not like the way their relationship was depicted. I got the feeling that he had no respect for anyone, even his own self. I don’t see how his mom did nothing to stop him from gang banging besides talking to him. I also did not like the way that he disrespected in his mother throughout the book. Their relationship was very dysfunctional and they were both at fault, but I still do not agree with disrespecting your parents. The other side of the family theme that I thought Monster depicted well was the gang family. I can see now how children that come from unstable households are more apt to join gangs. They are told that they will have a family in the gang and for them this is something that is appealing. Monster Kody felt that it was his duty to protect his “little brothers” and the rest of his gang family. He did everything in his power to protect them by committing