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

Sanyika Shakur

Dec 2007 · Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

About this eBook

The classic memoir of life as a Crip, written in solitary confinement: “A shockingly raw, frightening portrait of gang life in South Central Los Angeles.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

After pumping eight blasts from a sawed-off shotgun at a group of rival gang members, twelve-year-old Kody Scott was initiated into the L.A. gang the Crips. He quickly matured into one of the most formidable Crip combat soldiers, earning the name “Monster” for committing acts of brutal violence that repulsed even his fellow gang members.

When the inevitable jail term confined him to a maximum-security cell, a complete political and personal transformation followed: from Monster to Sanyika Shakur, black nationalist, member of the New Afrikan Independence Movement, and crusader against the causes of gangsterism. In a work that has been compared to The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice, Shakur makes palpable the despair and decay of America’s inner cities and gives eloquent voice to one aspect of the black ghetto experience.

Ratings and reviews

I first read this book in '93. During the Golden era of gangsta rap, so being a fan this book really grabbed my interest. Great look into the real life of Gang members. And shows it's more than just Smokin weed, drinking 40s, hanging with the homies and mackin hoes. Brings to light the poverty, lack of parental guidance, the paranoia, incarceration, and the death of friends in the life of a "G".

Words cant explain the effect of the images painted by Sanyika in this book. I finished this book in about 3 days, never had I read anything that made me feel as if I was there. Every word was visualized in my head. Sanyika takes the reader thru his transformation from ruthless gang member into someone who finally sees the bigger picture in life only after learning the hard way. His story his similar to many ghetto youths who grow up in hopeless environments with no father figures to show them the way.

The spot light brought to the real Los Angeles never looked so good. I was completely engulfed in read until it was no more. The use of military jargin and metaphoric references... great book! #InglewoodSleepy