Although many despise his elude stories if Rodriguez had written them any different, people would not understand the struggle he survived and the passion he has for life.
As a young boy in 1950's East L.A barrio, Luis experienced gang life first hand, his older brother, whom he admired, grew apart from him and no longer shared the same interest he had. His family no longer supported him, and the barrio his playground, where Luis made his was up the gang member ladder, starting off by fighting random people and working his way up to being and accessory to murder. Crime was a way of life for him and, at the time, the only way Luis knew how to survive. "In the barrio, the police are just another gang. Shootings, assaults and skirmishes between the barrios are direct results of police activity. Even drug dealing. I know this. Everybody knows this. Its just life"(Always Running).
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Luis only associated himself with his gang member "friends" whom he thought would be there for him forever, always having his back and taking care of him when he needed them to. "Que Viva South San Gabriel, we got you man just like you got us"(Always Running). Even spending many cold nights alone in a jail cell could not open Luis's eyes. He did not realize that his "compadres", his "homeys" were not always going to be there for him.
In time, Luis was introduced to the YMCA where he took up writing classes and gained a passion for literary work. His "friends" teased him calling him a school boy, taking his books and ripping them apart, telling him that gang-members don't need no education all they needed was the "hood". His "friends" even questioned his loyalty to his gang, he was told to graffiti the YMCA, break in and thrash the building. Out of guilt and wanting to show his commitment Luis destroyed the YMCA offices and never returned to finish any of his classes.
