Always Running By Luis Rodriguez Essay Topics

The book Always Running by Luis Rodriguez, is an autobiographical novel of coming of age that faces immigrants economic and difficulties on society. This amazing story takes place in LA California and in Mexico City. Luis was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, he lived there until he was two years old, finally later moving to Los Angeles, California. Luis’ parents worked in the Mexican school; his father as the principal of the school and his mother as the secretary of the principal. Luis attends school, treated like something unusual as the teachers have no idea how to handle a Mexican boy who can’t speak the English language. After facing many social conflicts in his new life in LA with discrimination about his language, he decides to join a

Although he was involved in a lot of crime such as burning down a rival gang member’s house, knowing that the family was inside, he wanted to keep in the gang because he didn’t want to let his gang members down, causing him to be expelled from school and being kicked out of his house. So he decides to leave this gang, given the opportunity to show what he is really worth, going through a community center. However he ends up joining another gang called Las Lomas. In page 113, Rodriguez states, “Las Lomas was our path to a broader future, but I was frustrated because I felt the violence was eating us alive.” There in Las Lomas he meets his mentor Chente Ramirez, which helps him figure out his passion and balance his bad influences. For example, in page 144, Luis says, “Sometimes we pay even when there’s been no mistake. Just for being whom we are…… Just for being Mexican,” here he starts to reason why Hispanics are discriminated, and starts to develop curiosity for a way to solve this