Monster : Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, The

Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: My name is Kershaun Scott. Sanyika is my brother and I must say, that I have lived the life with him, there is nothing in this book that I did not know about, but yet, I was still blown away with the the way in which my brother came across. Be on the watch for a possible part two to this outstanding book, not from him, but from me.

Rating:
Summary: THE BOOK THAT BRINGS FEAR TO EVERY DAY PEOPLE
Review: THE FIRT TIME I READ THE FIRST CHAPTER NO ONE COULD HAVE TAKEN THAT BOOK AWAY FROM ME IT WAS LIKE A NEW DRUG THAT TOOK OVER MY BODY AND OPEND UP MY EYES TO REALITY AND STUND ME. I SUGEST ANY ONE WHO LIKES RAW REALITY TO READ THIS BOOK AND STRIVE OF IT. I PERSONALY READ THIS BOOK 6 TIMES IN 2 YEARS THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ AND IM NOT REALY THE TIPE TO FEAD BOOKS SO HAVE FUN AND REALLY OPEN YOUR MIND TO THIS BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: "a reality check on the diversity of life"
Review: Sanyika Shakur (A.K.A. Monster) brings the mind inside your cranium as close as possible to the mind sets and actions of a gang member. Reading this, you can almost, I say almost, feel the adrenaline of why people do this to themselves and others. Harsh and brutal but at the same time showing the tender emotions of a youth growing up in racist america, this book is as powerful to read as a rival gang gun blast to the head.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! A wake-up call that I could not put down!
Review: Sanyika Shakur shares his life story in this autobiography and gives the reader a very real look inside the dark, ruthless world of an L.A. gangster. With his brilliant narration, Shakur will open your eyes to a whole other perspective of the banging problem. He shows a human side to the monsters we read about in the paper, and reinforces the fact that many of these confused youths are trapped in the endless perpetuity of gangs. Not the type of book I usually read, perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much!

Rating:
Summary: Reality at it's finest, from the experiences of a real "OG"
Review: It's about time someone gave a real-life account of gangbanging in Los Angeles. Sanyika did not glorify the villainy of banging nor did he dehumanize the human in the gangbanger. I'm from L.A. and I was sick and tired of the way the media depicted my peers on various pub's and rating's- influenced newscasts. As a youngster in L.A., I grew up around gangs and eventually joined one. I can attest to the lure of gangbanging, it was my second family. What I did for the hood mattered, no matter how small or large the action was. As I got older, I grew out of gangbanging as an occupation. What Sanyika's going through now is what happens with years of frustration/dehumanizing environments/hopelessness and constant antagonizing by the "establishment". But as we all know when we get into the hood, it's on for life. Hopefully, wannabe's will read and learn, parents will read and overstand, gangbanger's will read and be motivated to do the right thing, and city officials will read and make a difference in their educational/community policies. Only people can make a difference to make our hood a better place to live in. It takes more love than money to turn things around.

Rating:
Summary: "Witness The Strength Of Street Knowledge"
Review: Sanyika Shakur has to be one of the most underappreciated Political Prisoners in recent history. This New Afrikan author provides a glimpse of the true life of a "Banger". His story not only reads well but is peppered with bits of information thats keeps the story grounded in reality. His story is gripping and powered by years of anger and rage. Not too be read if you plan to do anything for 1-2 days. FIVE HUGE STARS.

Rating:
Summary: Raw and excellent
Review: This was a really good raw book about gang life in LA. The ironic part was that even though he was in the gang in the '80's , the problems that he faced and encountered still exists today. I also loved how he used the word "overstand," instead of "understand."

Rating:
Summary: An enticing look into the life of an inner-city gang member.
Review: Have you ever wondered what is would be like to grow up in a gang infested area? How about what it would be like to join a gang when you were 13? Doesn't that just blow you away? I know that I can't even start to comprehend what a life like that would be like. But a man named Kody Scott ( now named Sanyika Shakur) has experienced every aspect of the gang life. His childhood was robbed at the tender age of 13, forcing him to grow up and mature almost over night. In the gang hotbed of Los Angeles "Monster" Kody Scott was one of the most well known and feared gang bangers. For most of Kody's life he aspired to be nothing more then an O.G. (original gangster). To accomplish this goal Kody had to kill many people, and cause pain and suffering to many more. I can't even fathom killing another human being on purpose. Yet "Monster" did this on an almost daily basis because he wanted too. The whole idea of going out on "missions" and killing rival gang members gave Kody an adrenaline rush, it thrilled him! Why would someone get a kick out of that? It's puzzling to me. Not only does this book speak of the horrors of gang life, but it also talks about the triumphs of it. The comraderie, friendship, and "family" that there is is unmistakable and beautiful. There are sides to gangs that many people don't see. The only thing you ever see on the news or in the paper is negative. It's almost as if the public is unwilling to admit that there is a positive side to gangs. I'm not saying that I agree for what gangs stand for, it's just that I think people should experience both sides before making a decision. This book provides you with evidence to support each opinion. The choice is yours. Along with the intricacies of gang life, this book explores the harshness of prison life too. Most people don't experience life inside of a maximum security prison. Kody Scott has spent a great portion of his life in juvenile facilities, correctional homes, and prisons.He knows all about what happens inside the confined walls of "the big house". Mr. Scott reveals what happens on the inside. The violence and destruction in prison is sometmes worse then what is going on in the streets. In prison though the violence is much more primitive. Weapons are made out of bed springs, plastic knives, and pieces of glass. Even in jail the gang members stay fiercely loyal to their respective factions. Gang wars run rampid and unchecked. The main struggle is between the Crips and the Bloods. But the most violent confrontations are Crip on Crip or as I like to say, brother vs. brother. When I started to read this book I didn't know what yo expect. In the beginning I had the prototypical view of gangs....they are bad and can only cause pain and suffering. As I begin to read Sanyika's story my views on gang life changed. He showed me the positives and the negatives of ganglife. Now I know that there is a sort of family atmosphere in each gang faction. I have also learned about the rituals and hardships that gang members perform and go through. This book has opened my eyes to a new world. I am no longer a small town boy that doesn't have a clue what happens in the big cities. I now have an idea of what goes on. More importantly I know both sides of the story, the good and the bad of gang life. I owe it all to this book. I recommend you read it and have your eyes opened too.

Rating:
Summary: It is possible for a young man's gang life to change.
Review: I think that the most interesting novel that I've read would probaly be Monster by Sanyika Shakur A.K.A. Kody Scott. I think it's one of the most interesting novels that I've read because Kody A.K.A. Monster is looking for a way to adventure out into life, but he gets caught up in the wrong outlooks or beliefs of life. His family is now the L.A. Crips gang. He depends on them and tries to get the same family support and the same opions from the Crips as he would his family. He takes many lives of innocent victims that were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Kody is the youngest out of the Crips, so therefore he is also the most gullable and willing to do anything any of the Crips tell him to do. As a reader, I believe that he's doing this out odf attentional reasons. I think that Monster also can be related to the books "Jay's Journal" and "Go Ask Alice", because Jay and Alice are both looking for some type of backup when they need that extra hand or extra opinion that they don't get from their families. I also believe it's a family cause because they all don't deal with families throughout the books, they deal with themselves as individuals out in the world alone and struggling for someone, but they don't really like to admit that they need someone. Therefore they take it amungst themselves and seek for a relationship with someone or maybe even an illegal substance in replacement for that person. In the book "Monster", Kody makes several choices and decisions. One of them was to be so irresponsible and get a girl pregnant. Now he has to make the decision of his thug life or to care for his unborn child. Of course nothing can get in between the love of his gang banging, but that's a decision he made for himself that will later result in lots of unloved tears his child will be shedding. In the novel "Go Ask Alice", Alice makes a lot of decisions herself also. She decides rather or not she wants to end her life by abusing drugs and perscription drugs. She chooses to put her life on the line and become dependent of the drugs, now she's paying for it. She struggles for her life with every illegal drug she puts into her body. In "Jay's Journal", Jay resolves his problems by committing suicide and taking his own life. These novels are not all about a character that is bad and doing drugs and killing people, it's about decisions and choices. Everyone has to make choices at some point in their life it's just that some people choose the wrong choice and end up paying for it later on in life if they even have a life to live in. I guess it just goes to show that there is never a time where your decisions should be rushed. Always take your time because you never know, there could never be another tomorrow to fall upon.

Rating:
Summary: It's real, straight up, and the best non-fiction book
Review: This book has all the makings of a great one. It's uneditted, yet eloquent. Shakur is honest about running with the Eight Trays. He conveys his meaning very well