Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King

by Reymundo Sánchez

This riveting sequel to My Bloody Life traces Reymundo Sanchez's struggle to create a “normal” life outside the Latin Kings, one of the nation's most notorious street gangs, and to move beyond his past. Sanchez illustrates how the Latin King motto “once a king, always a king” rings true and details the difficulty and danger of leaving that life behind. Filled with heart-pounding scenes of his backslide into drugs, sex, and violence, Once a King, Always a King recounts how Sanchez wound up behind bars and provides an engrossing firsthand account of how the Latin Kings are run from inside the prison system. Harrowing testaments to Sanchez's determination to rebuild his life include his efforts to separate his family from gang life and his struggle to adapt to marriage and the corporate world. Despite temptations, nightmares, regressions into violence, and his own internal demons, Sanchez makes an uneasy peace with his new life. This raw, powerful, and brutally honest memoir traces the transformation of an accomplished gangbanger into a responsible citizen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, True Crime, Biography, Latino, Crime, Social Issues

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't planning on reading this book because I thought the first book did more glorification than self-reflection. I was told this book would be different, but it really wasn't.

He continues to do bad things in the book. And again, I'm not critiquing that he did these bad things, but I am critiquing that he wrote an entire book series on it without including reflection that explains why it was so wrong or how horrible he feels now. He rapes a woman to get back at her husband: "Imelda tried to pull away when she realized what I was doing but I pushed her flat on the floor, held on to her, and continued until she gave in and let me do what I wanted ... This was not about sex. This was about power." In another paragraph he says, "I overlooked her feelings to recover my pride and my sense of manhood." Does this sound like critique? For starters, he again never says the word rape. Once again he doesn't talk about how this must have hurt her, how horrible this must have been for her, he instead equates everything in terms of how it impacted him. And he doesn't even discuss that in a negative light. He doesn't say "At the time I thought I had recovered my pride, but in reality all I did was hurt someone who had cared for me." He says he recovered his pride and his manhood. Does he actually think that raping someone should be equated to manhood? It's unclear.

He continues to view women as only sex objects and blames them for the way he feels. "Lisette dressed very provocatively. Whether she knew it or not, she was invoking sexual thoughts in the men around her." There are many ways to reword this to put the ownership on men: "Men fantasized about her constantly" or "It was hard for me to look at her and not have sexual thoughts." But no, I guess by just existing in an attractive body, she invoked sexual thoughts of others. Sigh.

When he tells another woman, Marilyn, about his past, he again downplays his actions. He refuses to use the word rape unless it is about what was done to him: "I had forced a Latin Queen to have sex with me. I decided, however, not to tell her about being raped by my cousin." Phrasings like this show that he isn't shy of using the word rape, he just conveniently doesn't mention it about himself. I don't think he views himself as a rapist.

And all of this goes to show that I don't think his views on women have changed at all. I think he's made special exceptions for the individual women he respects- Marilyn and later his wife. But the vast majority of women? I don't think he even recognizes they're human. In the final chapters, when he is supposedly in reflection mode, he says, "My problem with lusting often puts me in very uncomfortable situations with serious consequences that are difficult for me to comprehend. At work I was talked to regarding how uncomfortable I made the women around me feel on several occasions. One female coworker went as far as filing sexual harassment charges against me." This man continues to make women feel uncomfortable and instead of talking about how he is making them feel he once again turns it back around and says how it affects HIM. I cannot imagine writing a book where I identify how I have hurt women throughout the years and recognize that I STILL make women feel uncomfortable with my ogling and then saying how this makes MY life uncomfortable. And that is the basic problem with this book- when he does bad things, all he does is talk about how those bad things made his life more difficult. He never seriously reflects on how his actions have hurt others, how all the women he has brutalized and raped are people too, how they deserved basic humanity and respect. Instead he talks about how he is sad when he loses his fuck buddies after raping them.

Okay, let's move on from women and talk about the gays. Wow this man fucking hates gays! There is immediate homophobia in the prison system where he talks about having gay sex is the worst thing a Latin King can do and he works alongside another king to hurt a man who does. When Marilyn has a lovely conversation with an obviously gay man, he is furious and forbids her from speaking to him ever again. When she brings up that he could be bisexual, he responds with revulsion. While he brings up the ignorance surrounding the AIDS crisis, it is through the perspective of Marilyn explaining to him that it is not a gay disease. And once again, I am happy to forgive all of his obvious disdain for gay people, he was clearly raised in an environment that was homophobic, and I absolutely get it. But at no point does he offer any commentary as to how he feels now. There is no, "I can't believe how ignorant I was," or "This showed how much this lifestyle had impacted my values," or "I was so rooted in toxic views of masculinity." Admittedly this book is published 2003, so making fun of gays was still pretty accepted, but again I guess that's my problem. I think that, at least at the time of publication, he still hated gays. When you write a book about all the ways you were a horrible person, I expect the book to be about how you grew. I don't think his view of gay people had grown, which makes me wonder how many of these bad things he writes about he actually regrets.

He talks a little bit about serving his time when he went to prison and that he deserved this. "My nightmares had also noticeably decreased ... Maybe it was because I was finally paying for a crime I had committed." Um, you went to prison for two years because of a drug related crime. You served no time for your many murders and rapes, which I've lost count of because there were so many. You literally took people's lives. You raped girls as young as 16. You raped women you supposedly cared about. You beat and tried to rape a woman you were in love with, a woman you called your soulmate. How can you possibly think that you have served your time? And how can you have the audacity to write this story of how you essentially got away with rape and murder without talking about how much you have hurt the people around you? How can you take all the bad things you've done to people, and turn it around time and time again to make it about you- how you lost the ability to feel safe, how you lost friendships or sexual relationships, how you lost sleep because of nightmares- without ever taking the time to critically reflect on the damage you have done?

This is a book written by a man whose actions have changed, but whose values have not. He clearly still views women as sex objects, as he struggles to treat them as human. He clearly still views gays as gross, as he goes on tirades about them without ever suggesting that his mind has changed since then. And while he denounces gang life, it seems by the end of the book that he does so because it is a dangerous life where you will be mistreated: "The loyalty they show you to suck you into the lifestyle disappears." He doesn't denounce it because it is the wrong thing to do, because selling drugs to addicts is hurting people, because raping and killing are horrible atrocities. Would he still be in gangs, would he still be doing these horrible things, if his gang hadn't mistreated him? Based on this book, it certainly feels that way.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the author was a latin king and didn't have all that much education, but didn't his editors? There were many grammatical and spelling errors that prevented me from just reading the book because I had to stop and figure out why what I read was wrong or didn't make sense.

Other than that, I felt like the author was just bragging about his sexual conquests, how many drugs he did, how he was so popular in jail and was an advisor to the head king. When he wasn't bragging, the other tone of the book was being a whiny bitch. Oh, he was homeless, had to be a king to live life on the streets and had to have sex with a few guys.....we heard it in the first book.

You can't have a book go both ways, bragging about what a fabulous gangbanger you were and then remorse for how hard your life was. I am not saying that his life was not hard, but seeing as he got away with little jail time considering all of the lives he took, he's lucky he's not rotting in a cell now. Yeah, he made choices to survive (if you choose to let a guy fuck you up the ass so that you can have a place to live and eat, it's not really rape), but they were still his choices. I think that becoming a latin king was one of the easiest choices he made because of instant gratification--drugs, booze, women, respect, protection, a place to live, friends. The harder choice would have been to live a respectful life.

This book seems like a result of therapy, admitting his crimes, then the issues he's still working on. Totally over it.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once a King, Always a King takes up where My Bloody Life leaves off...Reymundo Sanchez trying to get away from the street life, gangs, and violence of Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. Sanchez gets a computer job at University of Illinois-Chicago and starts to feel good about his decisions and the path his life is taking. Occasionally, the old gang ways try to pull him back into drugs and crime, but he manages to steer clear of them for the most part. He meets Marilyn Garcia, an attractive, well-educated Hispanic woman his age and falls in love for the first time. They move to Dallas together to start a new life, but old demons resurface which threatens their happiness. Eventually, they go their own way, but wiser for what they have learned by being together...as they tried to sort out the past that crept back into their actions and lives. A sobering story of gang-life, abuse, and struggles to make it in a crazy world.

[hails · Rating 2 out of 5]

better than the first book but still pretty mid

[Uvas · Rating 5 out of 5]

i chose this book becase i read the first one and i liked it and i wanted to see how it ends.this book is non fiction memoir. the setting took place in chicago and texas. the main character is older and he stoped doing the gang thing and he's trying to quit doin drugs. He meets this girl and he thinks that there going to last for ever but he it doesnt go the way he plans. they always fight and there anger gets out of control and he hits her. he feels terrible about it so there plans about getting married change. so she moves back to chicago and reymundo goes to florida. the main conflict is he trying to control his anger built inside him. he tries to change and he succeeds and he marries a girl in florida. my opinion in this book is that its a good book because it tells you what people have to go to succeed in life.

[Denise Prado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for people who want to read about how someones life has being in a gang and the struggles of getting out of trying to get out of that life style.This book really made me realize that school is more important than what other people think of me as and has also helped me with realizing that school is really important so when I grow up and finish school i´ll be living a great life.I recommend it its interesting.Before I end this comment most importantly you should read the first book.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“… I wanted time to think, time to grow, time to assure myself that I would never hurt another human being physically or otherwise.”
- pg. 261

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"People who thrive on creating pain in the lives of others exist in every sector of our society."

[Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

why did i chose this book: I chose this book beacuse one i all ready read the first book. Allso you told me that i would like this book. The genre: the genre of this book is memoir because he tells you what happend in parts of his life. The setting of the book: the book took place in three big cities of the United States. Like Chicago IL, Dallas TX, Miami FL. the Discription of the main charector: rey is trying to find himself in a way becuse now he a gown man and needs to get his act together.so that he can survive in the real world with out any drug abuse and gang life. The Summury: in the bigining of the book rey is just out of "LK's" and trying to make it with out theire help. Rey knows he can't do it yet so he goes to his old fried Gooffy. Goofy gave him a job by selling coccaine and cutng down money. he also give rey a place to stay in his house. Goofy had a wife and kids but since goofy was parralise from the waste down. His wife got board of just getting her cookie liked. so one day she dicide to go and have a afair with rey. Rey knew that when he was got cought by goofy or one of his king brothers. That he was going to be in some dip stuff since rey used to be a king and got out. the kings on gooffy's set wanted rey to show that he really care for the kings. ray thought that he had already proven and made a name for him self known as lil loco. So rey old girl friend contacted the "Inca" of the Latin KKings to protect ray from any harm from the Latin KKings. The Middle: On the middle of the story rey meats a girl named lily rey thinks that shes good looking. So they start the talking then the smoking then you know whats next to the bed. after they became boy and girl Lily was already dealing coccaine. So the sex,weed,coccaine got rey thinking that his heading to his old ways as lil lloco. sooner or later rey starts dealing again and he moves in with Lily. later on his mom comes back from puerto rico with his sisters and without Pedro. ray thinks that his mom doesn't really care for him because she doesn't even try to talk to him. Obut Why she let pedro hit him and she din't do nothing to stop him and sometimes she would join in with Pedro. Eventually rey and Lily are going to get pulled over by the cops. Rey takes all the blame for the half ounce of coccaine in the car. Rey goes to jail for 4-8 years i forgot but when ray was in jail he never had a problem in there. lating kkings in jail had heard the name lil loco and all the crazy shit he did. So the took him in as one bad ass mother f!@#$%. Ray never got in trouble and he had his own litlle hustle where he made some mony from the "cards" that he made while in jail. He would put suff like poems and pictures that he would come up with. eventually he got out an parrol for good behavier. Then end at the end of the book ray is working at the university of Illinois as a cumputer person because he had taken some class while he was in jail. during the time at the university he meet a marilyn she was ray love at first site. He fell hard for Marilyn he would talk to her for hour and not even know how long there conversations would be. Eventually they got to know each other really well so the dicide to move to dallas TX. To have a new life in a new city it worked out for a bit un till ray dicide to lay a hand an marilyn she left him for a month she moved in with a mexican lady that she worked with. fanally rey apalogise and she move back in with him. But Marilyn sounde like she was racist tores white wemon. Eventually they get an another fight where rey lays a hand onher agin she dicides to go back to the CHI. And Rey goes down to MIA there he meat his wife and the mohtere of his children. Rey whants to give his familly a better life then he had. the book ends on how rey is totally changed his life around and konw is going around telling kids to stay away from gangs & drugs. Rey also tried to chage and have a better relashionship with his mom and sisters.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I did enjoy the first one more but it’s still enjoyable.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. I liked that the main person talked about how he started his life as a gang member and how his life changed. Also, his choses effected the people around him. The book moved slowly because it was giving details and good information about him. There is nothing that i did not like about the book. I think the book was really good and interesting to read that I recommend young adults to read it.

2. My favorite character was the main character because it kind of remind me of my uncle that he went threw the same way as the main character did. It reminded me of my uncle because the main character and my uncle both have to go threw some hard struggles threw life because of the choices they chose in life. I feel that I really do not have any same ways as the main character or my uncle because my uncle taught me not to follow anybody's foot steps or to do anything bad because I may regret it later in life.

3. Hate, the author shows us that he hates him self for going the wrong path because he has messed up his whole life that he can't get a nice job no more all because of his bad record. He also shows that he has hate towards his mother because she did not teach him whats good and whats wrong. He also shows Anger in the book because he is showing how much anger he has for his mom and to the girlfriends he had because all of them just wanted him to be a bum and not have a nice caree in life or to try to do good in life.

[Haleigh Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

so far Rey Rey is just telling the story of how he escaped the gang life but returned and now lives with Spanky a Latin King and helps him run his drug business. Rey Rey as he is now called because he lost the title of Lil Loco the day he decided not to wear the crown he lost all respect from the Latin Kings,is now continuing to remain a deeper and deeper part of the Latin Kings. Where I'm at now Rey Rey betrayed the Kings and now lives with his ex-lover Loca and his new lover Lily who are also Latin Kings but keep him protected which only leads Rey Rey to go back to bad habits and more drugs and alcohol then he may be able to handle and stay out of prison.

so now Rey Rey is Lil Loco again. Lil Loco and Lily were involved in a chase where Locos old boys were about take out the hit on him. Only the cops pulled them over over first. Loco takes all the blame and is abused and beat by the Chicago RICO cops and ends up in prison were he is accepted for a short time by all the other kingz. this connection only last a short time because soon they start turning on him but Loco has new plans in mind with Lily and is now awaiting his freedom when he can try to turn things around one last time.

[David Patino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once a king, Always a King by Reymundo Sanchez is a true life story about an ex gangbanger. What attracted me to this book was that it connected to me in a sort of way. It really pinpoints the life of a gang life style. Everything that happened was crazy. It was shocking and unexpected. The drugs, sex, violence, family matters is what really depicts his life style. Plus the power of money. Which really caught my eye.
Reymundo name in the gang is Lil Loco. That's because he was a really crazy gangbanger. He tried to get out of the kings but the power and money is what keeps him going at it. He had a little kid die in his arms from a drive by accident. It's really sad. This book hits you hard. It gets to your emotions at certain times. He goes back into dealing drugs. Gets back into the gang life and realizes the situation he got back into is something he didn't want anymore. It's purpose is to show how crazy and messed up gang life is.

What makes this book successful is that it keeps you "at the edge of your seat". It makes you want to keep turning the page. It's suspensful and riveting. The book is amazing and depicts everything well. Dialogue was amazing. Descriptions of what was happening is what engaged me the most to keep on reading.

[Christian Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once A King Always A King
Plot-
Reymundo Sanchez is a former Latin Deciple, he is from the south side of Chicago. Reymundo's life is a told in this book. Reymundo had a tough time growing up so he decided to make new friends and a new family so he decided to join the largest gang in chicago which were the Latin Kings. After years past Rey became concerned about if he was making the right decision while in the gang, his best friend who died from a rival gang confrontation, after that devastated moment he started think to him self if what he was doing was getting him to places. So when you read the book you will understand what horrible things happen to him.

Character Overview-
My favorite character was Reymundo Sanchez not just because he was the main character, but just how his life related to my dads life, he was the kind of person that will do anything to at least keep him self alive and what he was going after so he reminded me of my own dad because although he had a tough child hood he still tries to live his life like it never happened and try to find himself.

Theme-
The theme I chose for this book was "Knowing Who You Are In Life" this really reminded me of the book because Reymundo tries and tries to find out if what he's doing is really him or someone else.

[Joaquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that the book Once King Always A King is really good so far because it's teaching me not to jion a gang even though i never would its giving me more information not to for example t charand hes been character rey was in a gang called the Latin Kings and hes been in it for a while but theres this thing called a three minute beat down only if your gonna leave the gang and since rey got tired of being a drug dealer, killing people, and abusing them he left to become a regular human in humbelart park he got the three minute beat down and after he left he got a place in his friends basement and had to pay rent and after a week his friend spankys wife amelda asked her sister if she would be interested in a guy and she said yes so they met up the next day and they kinda hooked up.Soon they moved in together and it wasnt even a week yet until they decided to get married.so far tis book is really good I hope the rest is too.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Reymundo Sanchez an ex Latin King tries to stay out of the gang violence he once was in. This book is a sequel to "My Bloody Life" and is a great book to read and has alot of details about his life and the dialogue is good. It tells us his life and all his problems he still going through,knowing that he came from an abusive family in his childhood. The change in not becoming lil loco from his past, was moving from Chicago to Dallas Texas with his girlfriend Marilyn Garcia. I learned that Reymundo did struggle to stay out of the gang activity but him moving out of Chicago was the best thing for Reymundo Sanchez.

[Danny Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the story in thid book very interesting and compelling. This book had me reading chapter to chapter due to it's sorrow filled and inspirational story to tell. I thought this book was very inspirational on how a chicago gangbanger did his best to turn his life around. From this book I had learned that anything is possible through hard work and dedication no matter how hard your life is. I thought the book also had a good point on the ignorance that minorities go through on a daily basis by the discrimination toward them by white people. I would easily recommend this book to the next reader and hopefully they would agree with the same message that I have learned from this book.

[JUAN IBARRAaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually a second part to my bloody life it still is based on reymundo sanches but it talks about his decision he made .Which was getting back to the gang life and start doing trouble.Reymundo starts living with a latin king member .but as time passes reymundo needed to do something for his nation which was kill .when reymundo got in the car with his friends to the mission they set up for him he realized he wasnt ment to be in a gang so he ran out the car and went back to his apartment and got a beaten of his life by the latin kings . what i think about this book is that its great cause it tells you how gang life would mess up your life really bad

[Joselinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reymundo Sanchez writes a vert well written story. Sanchez gives astonishing details of his life as a Latin King. I became captivated by his story and everything he endured. It's an intriguing story of a man who was determined to change his life around. If you're into gang/ crime related books then I highly recommend this one.

[Tanasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me when I was watching the history channel about gangs. It kind of makes me sad when they have to get beat up if they try to leave.But I think people should not even joining gangs in the 1st place. A lot of people die and get hurt even children.

[OfficialNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book i know i say that too most of the books but this one just hit like a rock and made me think really hard about ppl who are struggling on the streets and how they can make a difference in ppl if u use the right tools like education of course.

[Rafael · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was interesting no matter i started reading the second part but it was very interesting

[Omar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King is an admirable, splendid autobiography novel that connects deep into the roots of gang existence, mass incarceration and racism. Written by Reymundo Sanchez author of My Bloody Life, coming from Puerto Rican descent. This inspiring and amazing book showcases the astonishing life of Sanchez and growing up into the gang lifestyle at South Side Chicago. Sanchez abandons his mother and sister to go into gang life due to his circumstances and his sister by contrast turn to hardcore drugs and marries a gangbanger. And his family grows apart, and his story unfolds in Chicago under tragic conditions.

The environmental conditions that Sanchez lived in shaped the human being he is today from his experience of the gang violence, family, and drugs. He was a product of his environment and a tool to be used by his peers. Furthermore his character was very unique Intelligent individual who looked passed his circumstances and tried to rise above them. As the novel unfolds each chapter gives us an exclusive view into the life of Sanchez

Magnificent in its literature, Once a King Always a King really changed my view of the outside world on how I perceive what happened at the time of Jim Crow, mass incarceration, and racism Sanchez makes an uneasy peace with his new life. This raw powerful and brutally honest memoir traces the transformation of an accomplished gangbanger into a responsible citizen.

I would highly recommend this book

[Eric Venesky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Once a King Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King” shows us the life of Reymundo Sanchez and the struggles he goes through from his involvement in the notorious gang The Latin Kings. As Reymundo tries to fix his life and start over he ultimately gets pulled right back into his previous customs of drugs and violence. Through his involvement, he eventually ends up in prison and we get to discover how the Kings run gangs, even inside the jail. In the book they, show how hard is it to escape being in the life of a gang member. “once a King, always a King” is something said to Reymundo after he leaves the gang.
Demonstrating the struggles of being a gang member, Reymundo shows us his experience as he tries to overcome his passed habits. I found it interesting learning about being in a gang and how they can run, even through the prison system. The theme of my book would have to be sometimes you can’t outrun your past. This book wasn’t one of the best I’ve ever read, however I recommend it for anyone interested in learning about the way gangs run. I liked the book because it was tied around real events and shows us things that happen all the time around the world. Overall, I’m glad I chose this book and liked learning about how being in a gang effected Reymundo and his life.

[Debra]

This riveting sequel to My Bloody Life traces Reymundo Sanchez’s struggle to create a “normal” life outside the Latin Kings, one of the nation's most notorious street gangs, and to move beyond his past. Sanchez illustrates how the Latin King motto “once a king, always a king” rings true and details the difficulty and danger of leaving that life behind. Filled with heart-pounding scenes of his backslide into drugs, sex, and violence, Once a King, Always a King recounts how Sanchez wound up behind bars and provides an engrossing firsthand account of how the Latin Kings are run from inside the prison system. Harrowing testaments to Sanchez’s determination to rebuild his life include his efforts to separate his family from gang life and his struggle to adapt to marriage and the corporate world. Despite temptations, nightmares, regressions into violence, and his own internal demons, Sanchez makes an uneasy peace with his new life. This raw, powerful, and brutally honest memoir traces the transformation of an accomplished gangbanger into a responsible citizen.

[Geoffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I am addicted to this guy's books. Easy to read, entertaining - truly the product of someone who kept a journal of their daily activities. The only let down was the last chapter when you find out that 10 years later that the only reason he is with his wife is because of his kids and he is a bitter person in general. His present day attitude is one of a victim. He uses generalities to explain for the spread between where he currently is and where he wants to be. It is his wife's fault he didn't finish college, rich people's fault he is not rich, etc. I just thought if I met this guy today, given all that I have read about his past, that he would be an inspiration. It is clear that he is financially illiterate given his inability to accumulate any wealth in his hustling days and given his present situation. This dude needs a little rich dad/poor dad in his life as he seems to have the drive to earn, but needs to figure out how to leverage his earnings to work for him.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rey’s second book goes on further from his first book he fell back again in the drugs for a bit went and got out of Jail. Once he was out he had definitely changed his whole life around at first it was hard. His girlfriend that he had wasn’t the best to be around with knowing the life she had was the one he wanted to leave. After leaving his girlfriend and starting over from her he met someone else she made him want to have a better life she helped him leave his past life and he was glad to. He the tried connecting back with his family speaking to them to get answers on why they hated him so much. They never loved him he was the oldest but was never loved. His mom never told him anything she would always bring the gang life around him and his brother was too his sister had just gave birth to a kings baby, he stopped talking to them for while and just stayed with his girlfriend and from then on he’s had a better life.

[Toby Mustill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Once a King is an excellent book. The author highlights the troubles of gang life and the lasting effects of the lifestyle. The final passages deeply resonated with me and are an important message to youth and to the world. The one thing that keeps this from being a 5 Star book is that it is highly personal, the author speaks about relational issues and physical issues that arose from the lifestyle and talks for the vast majority of the book about his relationship with sex. While I can appreciate there are a wide range effects of a gangster lifestyle, it became rather tiresome to hear of sexual conquests, lack thereof and the lack of being able to hold a “normal” relationship - all stemming from being a gangster. Once you cut through this, you find an excellent book with an important message. An excellent book overall. Oh, and if you don’t read “My Bloody Life” first, none of the book will make any sense whatsoever.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much that can and should be taken away from this book. In his first book, My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King, Sanchez described the events that led to his involvement with the Latin Kings while this book focuses on how the decisions he made as a gang member continued to impact his daily life. The pain, guilt, and desperation that Sanchez experienced in his "post-gang member life," as he refers to it is felt on every page of this book. I would highly recommend that any person who works with young adults, survivors of abuse, or any at risk population read both books to help support young people and hopefully lead them away from the lifestyle Sanchez details in his books.

[DavidMUP]

1.insightful: Reymundo’s writing was insightful due to what the book talks about which was about his gangbanging lifestyle and how he got out of it

2.Dark:it showed you what the gang lifestyle in a major gang was, which was drugs,fighting,murder,and more drugs

3.Awe-inspiring:The story is about a man who was a fighter,drug dealer,and murder and how he went through prison with the extra motivation to get out of the gang lifestyle of which he was forced into by circumstance.

4.motivating: In the story it shows a man who was at rock bottom in his personal life who could've been homeless,dead in the streets,or stuck in prison for a lifetime sentence but he managed to claw his way out of abyss and into the light of a regular citizen of which provides inspiration for me.

5.surprising: The story has many turns and twists that does not make the story fully exactly predictable.