Luis Rodriguez

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7Rodriguez's rise from gang member to prize-winning author is succinctly and sympathetically documented. Schwartz, the editor of Rodriguez's book, Always Running, does not gloss over his subject's troubled youth. Instead, he provides insights into the negative choices the writer made by having him recount some of these moments in his own words. Surrounded by gangs and drugs, Rodriguez was in constant trouble with the police. His parents, who left Mexico for California when he was two years old, no longer knew what to do to change his behavior. By the time he was 14, his mother issued an ultimatum: to "clean up his act" or leave home. He left, but soon returned and began to get some of the help he needed to turn his life around. Besides showing Rodriguez's problems, the book provides a sensitive portrayal of the difficulties faced by families who immigrate to the U.S. and face language barriers and financial obstacles. Readers looking for easy biographies that have some substance will find this a good choice.Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA