Becoming A Son

by David Labrava

Becoming a Son is the first book written by David Labrava. David writes from life experience as he has lived more lives than most people ever will, and he did it all over the globe. David is an accomplished Glass artist, Tattoo artist, Five Diploma Harley Davidson Motorcycle Mechanic, Producer, Director and an award winning Writer and Actor. David is a member of the most famous and notorious motorcycle club in the world. David was the Technical Advisor on the hit TV series Sons of Anarchy from the inception to the completion of the series. David was also a series regular on the show, reaching that position after being hired as the technical advisor, then becoming a day player actor, then a recurring character then moving to series regular. All of these things had to be earned, as they were not for sale at any price. Becoming A Son is not about them. It’s about David getting to those spots. It’s about overcoming great odds and coming out alive. David left home at fifteen years old and hit the streets. This is David’s journey of discovery and redemption spanning a course of forty years. From the beaches of Hawaii and California, to the forest of the great Northwest, to years in Amsterdam, San Francisco, New York City, Miami then back to California. David hit some highs and survived severe lows, living years on the streets, in and out of jail only to take his life back, and then squeeze every bit out of it that life has to offer. Becoming A Son is a journey of epic proportion. It’s about realizing your dreams and then against the odds achieving them. Adventuring across the globe David learned many lessons by reaching out and trying everything, making many mistakes and paying the price for it and living through it. Now he wrote about it. David has been writing and getting published for over 14 years. He wrote for the Motorcycle magazine ‘The Horse’ then had his own column in the National Hot Rod Magazine ‘Ol Skool Rodz’ for eight years. He co-wrote Episode ten in season four of SOA which Time magazine awarded an honorable mention to as best of the season. David also won the 2013 Readers Choice Buzz focus award for Best Wildcard Actor. Like great authors before him Labrava takes the reader into some dark places most people would never dare to go. Becoming A Son is a modern day story of living on the street and redemption, it is one man’s journey into the darkness of himself crossing the planet and transcending all levels and then coming back again full circle. It is an inspiration for anyone who is chasing their dreams and making them their reality. Becoming A Son will come to be known as an instant classic.

Genres: Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Memoir

370 pages, Paperback

Published December 19, 2015

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hesitant to write a review about this book because it’s about his life. How does someone review a book about someone else’s life without it being perceived as judging the life itself?

I’ve been a voracious reader since the age of eight, reading a book in a single day and spending weeks on end in my room reading during my life and not once in all that time have I ever said that a book was “life changing” until now. Perhaps it was my prior reading material, or just my basic belief that the term “life changing” is bandied about too often about books that really don’t deserve it. This book more than deserves it.

This book is not an easy read by any means, I’m not speaking about the way it is written, I am speaking on the subject itself. A lot of people may read this book and judge the life lived by the man who wrote it and not the strength it actually took to live that life. As I was reading it I kept alternating between “crap, my life is boring” and “thank goodness my life is boring.” I don’t think I could have gone through everything he did and not wound up some absolute catatonic mess curled up in a fetal position somewhere.

One phrase, one sentence, stands out in the book for me and it may be because he used it more than once but it completely resonated with me in a fundamental way and I’m going to take this one to heart. “The worst day chasing your dreams is better than the best day doing something else.”

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking to gain some real perspective. In fact, buy two copies, because I can almost guarantee that you will want to get your friends to read it and you’ll want a backup copy in case one gets lost.

[Rural Soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew David Labrava from a TV show named "Sons of Anarchy". Only TV Series which I saw because of my interest in motorcycles. He was one of two guys in the show who were real "Hell's Angels" full patch members, One of biggest and notorious Motorcycle Club/Gang/Crime Syndicate. He was hired a technical advisor but requested for a chance. He was given a role and later wrote an award winning episode for the show.
A part from that he had been working as building painter, glass artist, tattoo artist, drug dealer, writer and Harley Davidson certified motorcycle mechanic.
Born in an unknown family and later adopted by restaurant owner turned lawyer and a housewife. Labrava wasted his life in weed, heroine and cocaine. Later defeated his addiction which had resulted him to live among homeless people for years.

Defeating an addiction isn't walk in the park. I have one my own and I know how this gets bad to worse.

Written in non formal style,This book has truly inspired me for number of reasons.

[Lora Covrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very rough draft with lots of typos and it is hard to follow because of the lack of grammar. He does what he wants, when he wants. That's pretty much the theme. This book is not the inspiration as stated in other reviews. It's his truth and that's awesome of him to share his truth but dang, put out some cash for an editor for your next book. Please!

[David Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

Good story not what you would expect. SoA and Hells Angels not mentioned once, which is tough going considering how big both are in DL's life. The numerous spelling mistakes are both annoying but reassuring as you know this wasn't ghost written

[Joshua Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re wanting a “behind the scenes of sons of anarchy” book, this is not for you. It’s an honest look at the life of David Labrava who played Happy on the show. While it’s an interesting and thrilling read an editor would have really helped a lot. The constant mistakes and poor sentence structure made it really difficult at times. It’s hard to establish a solid time line throughout the book.

But that shouldn’t take away from the insane life of David. The man had goals and didn’t give up until he achieved them. This is a book that can really inspire you do be the change you want to see and take control of your life. David is lucky to still be with us and I’m stoked he shared his story with us

[Adam Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Labrava has led a very interesting, and challenging, life to date. Without revealing too much of his life story, he lived on the 'wrong side' of the law for quite some time. He had numerous challenges including, incarceration, addiction and other associated problems.

He is best known for his role as Happy 'Hap' Lowman in the highly acclaimed TV series Sons of Anarchy. David also authored this book and has authored some other works for other publications. David is a man with many other talents (I won't share them here, you'll have to read the book to find out).

Becoming A Son, is a highly engaging, very RAW detailed account of his life growing up and how he eventually got involved with Sons of Anarchy (at multiple levels). Not for the faint of heart, but for those that start the book I can promise it will be one that you won't put down easily.

[Hailey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I tell everyone to read, I highly recommend it.
This is a redemption story, from living on the streets to getting on the screen, just like the title says. It's a book meant to inspire, even if it's only person, to chase their dreams and make them a reality. It tells you to focus on what you want and don't stop until you have it, it teaches you all a out determination.
I've always loved the comeback stories, hearing how someone was able to completely turn their life around, there's nothing more inspiring than that.
David's book does just that, it inspires and motivates the reader. He tells you exactly how he turned his life around, what made him want to do it and how he maintained chasing that dream. He never gave up, no matter the set back, he had his mind made up and he did what was needed to be done. He didn't wait for it to come to him, he went out and chased his dream.
This is one of those books that I read with a pen in hand because there are so many great lines. I mark something on just about every page, there are some pages that I underline every word. This book has so many life lessons, great advice, thoughts that should be remembered, and words to live by.
This book is easy to connect with, there's something in here for everyone, there is so much to take away from this book. This book is raw, it's real and never once do you feel the need to question the authenticity of his story, the way he writes lets you know how true everything is.
He's an admirable man and this book just verifies it. This book will make you like David Labrava even more than you already do. You have to respect a person who is able to accomplish everything that he has.
This is a book that you can read over and over again and each time learn something new, pick up something you missed during the last read.
It's an inspiring story that tells you if you focus on what you want, if you're willing to fight and give your all, you can get what you want out of life.
After reading this book, you have to go watch his movie Street Level, it will only add to the impact, emotion and overall experience this book leaves you with.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written biography.

David has lived a fascinating life and tells his story with a humble, at times almost painful, honesty. He has an incredibly authentic authorial voice, which I really enjoyed. I also like the style of writing, the way thoughts and feelings tied in together to form a larger picture. The only thing I didn't like was the number of spelling mistakes, it wasn't needed to maintain his voice and it tended to throw me out of the text.

I would love to read more writing from David

[Jess ツ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I'm on the fence on this one...

Obviously, the title in itself draws on the heart of any S.O.A. fan. He was advertised throughout the course of the series as being ' the real deal'...That was I thought the meat on this bone...that meat is not there..Instead, the first 50 pages are all about surf and drugs and you keep thinking to yourself, ok what's coming next? ...I can't judge his life, it's his path not mine ...hard to read sometimes because of the huge amount of typos, let's call them that

[Leslie Burnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight up and honest.

I loved that D.L. OWNED His SHIT, good BAD and Ugly. You really can turn your life around if you put your heart and mind into it. Life is an adventure,enjoy the journey.

[Helene Caruso Auteure Hélène et les bouquins · Rating 4 out of 5]

** FRENCH REVIEW **

[SERVICE PRESSE]
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Devenir un son de David Labrava publié chez Editions Kadaline
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Je remercie chaleureusement mon partenaire pour l’envoi de ce service presse.
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Mon résumé :
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David Labrava est né en Floride. Fils d’une professeure d’art et d’un restaurateur reconverti en avocat, il tombe très tôt dans l’enfer de la drogue. Durant des années, il fera des rencontres incroyables et aura de belles opportunités.
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David Labrava est né à Miami. Passionné de surf, il tombe très tôt dans la drogue et quitte le foyer à 15 ans. Il n’aura de cesse de vivre de trafics, voyageant d’Etats en États, de pays en pays. Il rencontrera des bikers hollandais, vivra dans la rue, fera de sa prison et bien plus encore.
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Mon ressenti final :
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Un témoignage incroyable.
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Lecteur, si tu attends des informations croustillantes sur la célèbre série Sons of Anarchy, tu seras déçu. Elle est évoquée de manière très épisodique. Pour moi qui ne m’y suis jamais intéressé, ce n’est pas gênant.
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Ce témoignage est complètement époustouflant. David a eu une vie extrêmement riche. Le début était pourtant prometteur. Des parents aux situations professionnelles stables, aimants, un toit sur la tête, à manger dans l’assiette. Mais David s’ennuie à l’école, aime le surf et la bagarre. Un voisin lui apprend la méditation mais rapidement, l’herbe brouille la tête de ce gamin intelligent. La première chose qui me frappe, dans ce récit, c’est l’absolue gentillesse qui habitent les mots utilisés par l’auteur. Tout au long de ma lecture, je n’ai jamais senti haine ou rancoeur, ce qui semble assez fou lorsque l’on sait ce qu’il a traversé. Il y’a comme une sorte de mélancolie dans les souvenirs évoqués par David.
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A 15 ans, David quitte le nid familial et longtemps, il va habiter chez des amis et vivre de trafics de drogue. La fin des années 70 est propice à ce commerce et plus d’une fois, les transactions manquent de très mal se terminer. Mais le gosse à la bougeotte et navigue entre la Floride et la Californie. En grandissant, David tombe dans les drogues dures, squatte à droite et à gauche, mais partout, il rencontrera des personnes sur qui compter, malgré les situations.
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Malgré des séjours en prison, David ne semble pas décidé à arrêter la drogue. Pourtant, des mains ont été tendues. Ses parents, des amis qui lui proposent un travail, une assistante sociale… Malheureusement, la dépendance est la plus forte et chaque fois, la chute est de plus en plus vertigineuse. Plusieurs fois, il passe très près de la mort. Je pense pouvoir avancer sans me tromper, que D.L, comme on le surnomme, a une sacrée bonne étoile.
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Le déclic finira par avoir lieu et David commencera à se créer une nouvelle vie. Diplôme de mécanicien, biker avec ses frères, tatoueur, scénariste, voilà ce que veux cet homme un peu bagarreur mais surtout très rêveur.
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J’ai aimé cet éternel optimisme, ce calme dans la narration, presque comme s’il nous offrait ses meilleurs souvenirs. David a eu une vie extrêmement riche. Riche en rencontres, riche en projets, riche en rencontres. Aujourd’hui, c’est un homme posé, qui fabrique de magnifiques pipes en verre (que je lorgne sur son compte Instagram : @realdavidlabrava), qui adore ses chiens et affiche toujours un sourire solaire. Je pense qu’il est aujourd’hui, un homme apaisé.
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Si vous voulez découvrir son incroyable destinée, c’est ici : https://amzn.to/2TwzNyY

[Jenny Lally · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of people who want to tell their story and about half of those people really don't have anything all that interesting to say. Mr Labrava is not one of those people. I hadn't heard about him before I saw him on SOA. When my OH and I were discussing the actors, we looked up DL and his life seemed beyond anything that I had heard of before, so I decided to order this book.


This is a very open and honest story, that has not been glorified and shows a man who has been about as low as a human can be before he worked to pull himself out of the hole he found himself in. Some of the stories seem too odd to be true but when you look into them they are in fact real. While he has made a lot of bad choices in his life, he is honest about them and how he has changed things to keep himself out of trouble. Clearly Mr Labrava is an incredibly smart and intelligent man who did what he needed to quiet his mind.

The tone of the book is honest and to the point. there are no pulled punches and you can definitely hear that iconic gravelly voice of Mr Labrava throughout. The matter of fact way that the stories are told could make you think that Labrava was being boastful of where his life has gone, but if you pay attention to what is being said, the message is defiantly don't make these mistakes. This isn't a tale of Hollywood and bikes, its the story of man who fell into bad choices early on and spiraled down the about as low as he could, until eventually he forged his own path back out again.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I walked into this one open and blind and that was okay. I don't pick up a lot of memoirs or non-fiction unless it's somebody I'm particularly inspired by. David Labrava joined that list. Having first seen him in Sons of Anarchy and then keeping up with what he shares on Twitter, I find his drive and determination to be inspirational.
I could go on about how badly I wanted to edit his novel myself, but this reading experience surpasses that. There's so much raw and rough storytelling that really struck my heart. I was in awe. And the way Labrava jumped from memory to memory without cohesion offered a unique post-modern view that was incredibly realistic to how we look back on our past. More so, just because there were moments many would think to sugar coat or pull a dramatic turn, Labrava didn't. He kept things short and to the point with no room for guessing.
What an incredible read. I look forward to seeing what else he writes next.


Full Review:
https://thescarletreaderreviews.wordp...

[Tina Brimlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Sons of Anarchy, so I was really thrilled to come across this book.

I was really interested in learning that David was an actual Brother to an MC. I loved how he shared everything about what he went through to get where he is today. I especially love how he shared his drug addiction and his arrests with us. It is a good inspirational book for those who are going through the same thing to keep fighting for their adventures and dreams. To never give up no matter how low you have gotten. I recommend you check this book out. Thank you David for sharing your life's adventures with us.

I gave the book a 4 star because even though it was an amazing read, there was just way to many spelling errors and some grammar problems. David just needs to get an editor to clean it up. But I will still recommend this book to anyone.

[David H. Schurr · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a brother, read this.

I read books that are true stories. It's just my thing. I liked the Sons of Anarchy series so this book interested me. It's a true story about why Kurt Sutter picked David Labrava to be in the S.O.A. series. Sort of. It's because he's a biker brother to the bone. Labrava is a talented brother. Tattoo artist, glass blower, custom bike builder/mechanic, traveler, business man, actor and loyal friend of many. Definitely a Son. Ride safe & keep the rubber side down.

[Maria Wroblewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is in very bad need of editing. There are typos on almost every page as well as grammatical errors. The first few chapters jump back and forth; however, the author gets that together by the middle of the book. This would have been a good read if it was edited and left some of the tedious minutiae on the cutting board. Labrava has story to tell and an interesting voice, but he needs some assistance.

[james mullane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gabby been able to find a book I could get into since I was 10 years old or some shit. 33 now and started reading the free sample and couldn't stop. Loved it. I look forward to the movie about the new York portion of the book, I can't relate to that and wasn't my favorite part of the book so I'm hoping the movie will help clarify it better for me.

I loved the TV SHOW, I loved the character Happy it was well worth the money and I'm glad I found the book

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing story and life DL has lived thus far. I thought this book was a brave undertaking by David. It is extremely personal to share your story of addiction with the world. This book was a fantastic read! If you like reading about personal struggles and eventually triumph, this book is for you!

My only issue was with the grammar. It was a bit hard to read at times due to this, maybe this was just a Kindle thing.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about David LaBrava’s journey through life. He had a rough one because of the choices he made but he always felt he was supposed to be where he was. A man that can do live like he did and be free and successful- we are all envious of that! More important than “ becoming the son” I think was him becoming a brother. When he talks about his brothers in the motorcycle world, he does so with a strong sense of loyalty, love and commitment. I highly recommend this one.

[Ryan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the character he played on Sons of Anarchy and he has had quite an interesting life, however, the way the book is written/edited is quite poor. It was full of typo's, often written the way he might say the sentence out loud.

Interesting book about the life of David Labrava, from Miami to Cali to Holland and back. How he is still alive is a wonder!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bloody good read. I recognised Labrava instantly as Hap from Sons Of Anarchy but I didn’t know he was the show’s technical adviser. I sure as hell didn’t know he’d had such a colourful past that took him coast to coast across USA, and touring most of Europe.
But his travels are no match from his journey from nothing, to rock bottom, and to the very top!

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t Put It Down!

Awesome read! Couldn’t put it down…. Had me from start to finish! I really recommend this book, Mr Labrava lived quite a life and takes responsibility for all of it!

Only thing… publisher needs a better proof reader… lots of typos n grammar errors, this is not the authors fault though!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the book, the misspelling and grammar got to me. I was hoping to hear more intricate stories but most of the revolved around the brothers and moving around which got kind of old. I’m sure he has way more amazing stories to tell but overall a good read and let’s you realize you can always turn life around.

[Julia Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, I also love the actor so that made it easy.
His story was very interesting to get an incite on, like what a wild life he has lived!

There are some typos and it did feel like it was jumping around a bit, but that wasn't really a big deal to me. I understood what he was saying and getting at.

[Gracie Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in just a few days! I thought it was a really neat outlook on life that he shared with us. Yes, there are grammatical errors, but he never claimed to be an exclusive writer. His story is super interesting and I loved his character in SOA before and even after now. He is really that dude! One of the dopest guys I’ve ever read about. He has done it all.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

He must have self-published his book because the typos were awful! Made it a very hard read. Also, I was hoping he would have talked about how he landed his role on Sons of Anarchy, but it was mostly about his life growing up. I didn't mind that, but I was under the impression he was going to talk about how he landed on Sons.

[Emily Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crow, this man has lived an interesting life! Would have been five stars, but whoever the copy editor was definitely missed a few things, which was distracting. However, this was still a very interesting read and I greatly enjoyed it.

[Alexis Agbulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring journey

It was so interesting to go on this journey with David as he talked about his life. It's a story about overcoming so many obstacles and learning about yourself to become who you were meant to be.

[Rebecca Nagrodski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get expected some sort of Hollywood tell all memoir - but it ended up being so much more than that.

Labrava gets incredibly real in his book about his journey and life itself. He's an interesting storyteller and I really enjoyed this ride!

[Ky P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, i watched soa for the first time in October last year and it made me learn more about the actors. Dl is super dope and this book changed the way i look at the world and myself. Toooo many typos tho