Luis J Rodriguez Books In Order

Music of the Mill

In a stunning literary achievement with a power and scope reminiscent of John Steinbeck Luis J. Rodriguez captures the soul of a community in this epic novel about love, family, workers’ rights, industrial strife, and cultural dislocation As the World War II cultural and industrial boom birthed a new California, a mighty steel industry rose with the potential to make modest dreams real for the workers willing to risk their lives in the mill’s ferocious heat. For the Salcidos, the Nazareth mill became an engine for survival. Luis J. Rodriguez chronicles the simultaneous evolutions of this American family and the enormous enterprise that drove them from optimistic and cohesive units questing for stability and prosperity to disintegrating entities whose dreams have long since lost their luster. Spanning six decades, the novel conveys the drama, resilience, and humor of working class life during a little known era in American history.

The Republic of East L.A

From the award winning author of Always Running comes a brilliant collection of short stories about life in East Los Angeles. Whether hilariously capturing the voice of a philosophizing limo driver whose dream is to make the most of his rap metal garage band in ‘My Ride, My Revolution,’ or the monologue styled rant of a tes ti fy ing! tent revivalist named Ysela in ‘Oiga,’ Rodriguez squeezes humor from the lives of people who are not ready to sacrifice their dreams due to circumstance.

In these stories, Luis J. Rodriguez gives eloquent voice to the neighborhood where he spent many years as a resident, a father, an organizer, and, finally, a writer: a neighborhood that offers more to the world than its appearance allows.

America Is Her Name

Set in the Pilsen barrio of Chicago, this children’s picture book gives a heartwarming message of hope. The hero*ine, Am rica, is a primary school student who is unhappy in school until a poet visits the class and inspires the students to express themselves creatively in Spanish or English. Am rica Is Her Name emphasizes the power of individual creativity in overcoming a difficult environment and establishing self worth and identity through the young girl Am rica’s desire and determination to be a writer. This story deals realistically with the problems in urban neighborhoods and has an upbeat theme: you can succeed in spite of the odds against you. Carlos V zquez’s inspired four color illustrations give a vivid sense of the barrio, as well as the beauty and strength of the young girl Am rica. Luis J. Rodr guez grew up in Watts and East L.A. His bestselling memoir about gang life, Always Running now available in paperback in both English and Spanish from Touchstone Books, won the Carl Sandburg Award. His Poems Across the Pavement T a Chucha Press won the Poetry Center Book Award from San Francisco State University, and his poetry collection, The Concrete River was awarded the 1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Poetry. Mr. Rodr guez has worked extensively with gang members to guide them in positive directions, and he is frequently featured as a keynote speaker or guest poet at national conferences and cultural centers. Rodr guez explores the Chicano experience with an unrelenting, socially conscious eye that moved Larry Weintraub of the Chicago Sun Times to call him a poet ‘we need to hear.’Illustrator Carlos V zquez was born in Mexico, studied physics and art, and now teaches in adult education programs in New York City. This book is also available in a Spanish language edition as La llaman Am rica translated by Tino Villanueva. 1 880684 41 1

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Monchi likes to write poems, hang out with his cousin, and tell stories to his uncle. Then one day, a member of the local gang tells him it’s time to join up. Monchi is scared but excited. The older boys give him the handshake, girls talk to him, and even teachers are afraid of him. But when a tragic event changes everything, Monchi must make an important decision. There is no easy answer to his dilemma, but the love and respect of his uncle help him find a way out. Written in both English and Spanish, It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way is a compelling tale of a young boy’s encounter with the world of gangs.