Reymundo Sanchez is the pseudonym of a former Latin King who no longer lives in Chicago.
Sample Chapter
The Vicelords hung out on Hoyne and Crystal streets not far from the Unknowns hood. Thats where we headed. Pebbles
and I sat in the rear of the van, Hercules drove, and Morena sat on the front passenger seat. Leo called Pebbles
up to the front. I heard him say give this to that brother so he can take care of business. Pebbles came back to
where I was and handed me a sawed off shotgun. I was scared out of my mind. I was about to be tested again. Damn
I wished I was in Puerto Rico! A few seconds later the van stopped. Hercules came to the back and asked for the
shotgun. I was relieved thinking that I wouldnt have to use it on anybody, but he only had forgotten to load it.
Hercules loaded the shotgun and demonstrated how to use it. See my brother you pull the trigger then pump it, pull
the trigger again then pump it again until its empty, Hercules instructed me. Shotgun shells flew out of the top
of the gun every time he pumped it. (He never actually pulled the trigger.) Hercules reloaded it, gave it to me,
and again we were on our way. Pebbles lit up a joint and sat next to me. She gave me the joint and started kissing
me on my neck and whispering about what she would do to me if I shot a Vicelord for her. I stared at the shotgun,
not knowing what to do. Pebbles took it out of my hands, put it under a blanket then kissed me. I was tongue kissing
and feeling up Pebbles body when Morena came back and told us that we had arrived at our destination. She ! advised
me to get ready then she went back into the front. Pebbles looked out the window and pointed out the Vicelords
for me. She grabbed my groin, squeezed gently, kissed me, and told me that the sooner I got it over with, the quicker
I could have her. I made up my mind right there and then to go ahead with the whole thing.
Review
�A brutal, chilling firsthand account of how a young person who is raised without positive family values will
reach out to a gang to find a support system and a substitute family. This book offers new insights into what lures
kids into gangs and how difficult it can be for them to get out alive. It shockingly explains how difficult life
can be for disadvantaged youngsters and demands that we make a greater effort at improving their lives.�
--Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and founder of the Jesse White Tumblers, an anti-gang and -drug program
�A slow-motion riot of drugs, sex and gunplay.�
--Publishers Weekly
�Sanchez writes plainly and powerfully.�
--Booklist
�A viciously candid, self-deprecating memoir.�
--Chicago magazine
Publisher web site, February, 2002.
Summary
Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs,
alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and
most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom,
self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where
the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one breath will say they'll
die for you and in the next will order your assassination.
