Ok, "Monster" Kody fucking shoots PEOPLE a/k/a HUMAN BEINGS without so much as a fore or afterthought. He writes about these murders as if they are "points" to be gained in a game and nothing more. I was expecting to see Kody redeem himself in the end. I was hopeful when a Muslim preacher came in and struck a nerve with the boy (who I believe was 15 at the time and in prison).But woe...woe...Kody simply redirected his Eight Tray Gangster CRIPS hatred of the Sixties over onto those evil white peo...

In 1994, I bought and read "MONSTER: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member" based on the recommendation of a local talk radio host, who lavished praise on the book. I was utterly absorbed in reading about the life of someone who got caught up in the gang scene in Los Angeles from the mid-1970s through the 1980s. The way Sanyika Shakur related his life story reminded me in several respects of 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X', which I had read 30 years ago. (It completely changed the way I had

This was a bit of an odd book. There were moments when I just wanted to put it down because it was moving slowly, was weighed down by the prose of someone trying way too hard, and reading the dialect of the dialogue was headache-causing at times. There were also moments where the book just flew by and I found myself getting involved with the characters, starting to feel like maybe I was understanding some of the allure that the Bloods or the Crips might have had for a young person. Of course, I'...

“The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member” by Sanyika Shakur also known as “Monster” Kody Scott is a raw frightening portrait of gang life in South Central, Los Angeles. In the sixth grade he joined the Eight Tray Crips. During his early days of being in the gang, he left a man in a coma and disfigured. Police told bystanders the person responsible for it was a “monster, thus giving him his nickname. Kody Scott was raised with no father and a hard working mother who was never able to be home. He...

Monster: The Autobiography of An L.A. Gang Member tells the story of Monster Kody Scott and his time growing up as an Eight Tray Gangster Crip in South Central Los Angeles. During his youth, Monster shows his loyalty to the set by shooting opposing rival gangs, (often times killing them) robbing civilians, committing grand theft auto and defending the hood (he grew up on Florence and Normandie) at all costs. Moreover, what makes his personal account hit home is the fact that he lays down the fou...

I read this book when I was about 20 years old and in college as a part of an English class. I loved it. I've read several other's reviews on here from people who didn't like it, but this is why I did: - As an autobiography from a gang member I didn't expect Ernest Hemingway style of writing. I think it brought realness to the book of who this person was, even though I'm sure this book went through a lot of editing to even get to this point.- While it had realness, it had the thrill of fiction.

I felt that this book was just ok.Nothing wrong with the content or anything, it's just the content kind of turned me off. The life of a Crip is not something I ever want to be a part of, espically after reading this. All the senseless killing just to make a name for yourself. Hunting groups of people down "not from your block" just to kill them. It so senseless, but it's seen as "the way of life." And there is no remorse to be found within for all the "enemies" killed.What really got me was whe...

Very hard to read; not just the subject matter either. Very stream of consciousness with out the conscience. He describes rolling up and shooting a bunch of other Crips with about as much passion as he describes getting dressed in the morning. One second we're here, on the corner, next there, in some other neighborhood. One second he's beefing with a person, next chapter they're riding in the same car together looking for someone else to smoke, as if the previous beef didn't even exist. There is...

By far the biggest waste of time, ever.Moral of the story: keep trading one "us against them" mentality for another until you find one that justifies your violence and stupidity. The end. Now you don't have to read it.

I picked this book up because of the hype generated by my students. I have to say, that at first, I was disturbed yet facinated by Shakur's matter-of-fact account of shooting and killing people. I was constantly disturbed by his lack of remorse and by the excuses he makes for his actions. While I understand that life in poverty is difficult and that violence is prevalent, I know that it IS possible to rise above one's situation and be a GOOD person. I know, that especially in the 1970's, racism

Well, that escalated quickly!Author Sanyika Shakur a/k/a Monster Kody Scott goes from graduating the sixth grade to committing multiple homicides in this book's first few paragraphs -- not pages, mind you, paragraphs!And it's just downhill from there. Over the course of the next few chapters, he racks up a body count that would be implausible in a damn Terminator movie. You wonder how he can admit to so many killings with minimal concern for being arrested for them.Granted, there's the fact that...

Simply put, a very haunting tale of L.A. ganglife.

I'm still not sure I've articulated a coherent opinion of this, but I can tell you I didn't like it. Certainly it is glimpse of a world that most people have never and will never see. And unlike many memoirs written by non-authors, it is not poorly written (the vast number of characters whose names you'll never remember not withstanding). But I just found myself feeling angrier and angrier with Kody/Monster/Sanyika for his total failure to grasp the big picture and his role in it, whether as a g...

I'll be honest..I didn't really read this. I got up to page 46 and couldn't take it anymore. I've read articles, studies, and excerpts about gang life and all that. This was supposed to be an interesting account of one, maybe it was for back in the day. Where shall I begin? First of all the author spills into chapters, telling stories from different times throughout his gang activity. I never felt enlightened or opened to the "gang mentality", nor did he explain the technical aspects of the gang...

For the first two-thirds of this book I literally couldn't put it down. The matter-of-fact, neutral, emotion-less way that Kody tells of the harrowing cold-blooded acts he committed is compelling and makes you want to read more. Then you get sick of it. Then it's no longer fascinating and you realize *semi-spoiler* Kody, ahem, "Sanyika", doesn't give a crap about anything he did. You think maybe he's coming to redemption towards the end, but just because he finds religion he doesn't accept who h...

Maybe because as a Black woman in the heart of all the racial tension and systemic, institutionalized micro aggressions of 2015, this book touches me in an indescribable way. It feels like so much of the struggles Sanyika has gone through are present in the eyes of so many brown youth today. That is a chilling fact. The book escalates quickly. While the brutality of the book is at the forefront, much of Monster showcases the spectrum of life in the hood. I'm proud of his willingness to share all...

I have yet to join a gand, hehe, but this seems like a good portrayal of what the life would be like. I did like that he didn't seem to be glorifying the gang life but at the same time the few racist remarks included bothered me. Probably what bothered me most of all was his likening the gang to the army and military, likening a drive-by shooting to a war, things like that. Overall it was a good book with a good story, good ending, good lessons, and good writing.

This book was a very interesting book and shows how gang life really is. I liked this book because it shows how he transitioned from a gang member into a revolutionist. I would like to read the other books that he has written also.

This book was brutal to read, but at the same time, so compelling that I could barely put it down. I am not normally a nonfiction reader, but I saw this on a list of books that were must reads and decided to give it a try. The brutality that was experience by Sanyika was heart wrenching and yet, he presented the weird and twisted logic that accompanied all of his decisions. His story is one of hope because he was able to get out, but so many of his brothers and sisters weren't able to.. Plus kno...

While an interesting read for sure, it's also a frustrating one. There are a couple reasons:1) At no point does Sanyika/Monster show any remorse for anything he did, not even after he was supposedly "reformed." His crimes are relayed emotionlessly and robotically. In fact after researching him a bit on the side, it seems like he actually understated many of his attacks. He says that he earned the nickname "Monster" from his aggression in gang conflicts. In reality, he earned this nickname from b...

The author does a great job of carrying the reader through his mindset at the different stages of his life. While it can be read that the author has no compassion, it should be remembered that he is portraying the thinking of a young gangster at that time. He is trying to give the reader a “glimpse at South Central from ‘his’ side of the gun, street, fence, and wall,” which I think he does very well. To incorporate the reflections and realizations he acquired at an older age would have depleted

I didn't like the feelings I got when reading the story because of the identification I had with some of the events that took place. Much of what the author wrote made me look at my own dark past. It was easy to picture myself in some of the situations the main character found himself in. The fact that some of the disturbing scenes will probably stay in my mind for years to come is an indication of how engaged I was in the book.About half way through the book when the author began to change from...

This review and more can be found at A Reader's Diary!I was pleasantly surprised when my teacher assigned this as one of our required readings. Monster Kody Scott was initiated into the Crips at age 11. By age 16 his body count had to be well over 50. By 18, he was in and out of courts, juvenile halls, and eventually prisons. This autobiography is a tell all on gang violence, but more importantly, black on black violence. Monster was an Eight Tray Gangster, he went on to become an O.G. which cou...

The number of stars don't accurately capture my feelings about this book. Somehow, It was "OK", or "I liked it". My three stars represent that Monster is a disturbing read, that kept me engaged. Monster aka Kody aka Sanyika writes a gripping, account of his gangster life. He comes across as a cold-blooded killer.. a Monster without remorse. By the end of the book, he claims to have renounced his former gang life, but he retains a militant, hostile attitude towards authority, law enforcement, a

Re-reading this makes for a depressing experience. The tale is unremittingly grim, with a constant barrage of mindless violence, given a validity for it being the way things happen in the 'hood.The book gives little insight into the real reason for killing your fellow man in virtually the same situation. It's justified 'cause that's the way it's always been. Civil Rights leaders and stalwarts must be spinning in their graves.Even more sad is the way the author radically changes his viewpoint, no...

This book lets the reader get an insight to life as a gang member, and what exactly there motive is for. The main character, Monster Kody Scott (the author), is telling his young life as a gang member. Kody started at only 11, almost doomed from the start, he was in and out of juvenile detentions, shot, and even went to jail in maximum security. Kody Scott was a part of a LA group of crips called the North Side Eight Tray Gangsters. Although Kody brought it upon himself, for being involved in ma...

Before reading this book I was under the assumption that people choose to participate in gangs. After reading this book I know that it is way more complicated. Sanyika does a fantastic job explaining, not justifying, why gang life in South Central is simply a part of life: "My participation came as second nature. To be in a gang in South Central when I joined- and it is still the case today- is the equivalent of growing up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and going to college: everyone does it."Sanyi...

Monsta Kody fully embraced the gangbanger lifestyle from an early age, committing his first homocide at the age of 11. The first 1/2 of this book details the high adrenaline, brutal, murderous lifestyle of a full time thug. He casually describes killing and beating countless people. Shakur is intelligent, thoughtful, and knows how to tell a good story. As detestable as many of the acts he describes are, the narrative is frequently riveting and has the grit of authenticity. The second 1/2 of the

Kody Scott's transformation to Sanyika ShakurSanyika Shakur‘s, aka Monster Kody Scott, Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, was published in 1993. Featuring literary tropes, the style flows, everything is explained easily for the reader, and yet the book is hard to read. It’s difficulty lay not in the writing but in the content and the emotions they evoke. Without glamorizing gang life, Sharkur describes his rise through the ranks of the Crips gang. After brutally disfiguring someo...

This dude is huge so I hope he doesn't read this review, but dang did he ever make some bad decisions in his life. Kids, do not join gangs. Don't go around shooting people. Don't shoot people who are in your own gang and not even the rival gang. Read this book and do the opposite of what this guy does.