“My teen years were ones of drugs, shootings and beatings, and arrests. I was around when South Central Los Angeles gave birth to the Crips and Bloods. By the time I turned 18 years old, 25 of my homies had been killed by rival gangs, police, drugs, car crashes and suicides.”
—Luis J. Rodriguez
“Always Running” is a book that I recommend to everyone. It is one of the best books written by Luis J. Rodriguez and for many years was on the banned book lists throughout the country.
When I arrived at the juvenile court school library, it was off the banned list and one of the most sought-after reads. I brought it to book club on many occasions. It was originally banned and taken out of public and school libraries since it talked about gang life in great detail. When I brought “Always Running” to book club, I made sure to have multiple copies so students could take those books to their cells.
Jane Guttman
Book club on one of the male max units was a happening. As an after-school program, it gave kids a chance to get out of their cells and learn some very big and cool things. For me it was a chance to promote reading, one of the most important factors in helping someone have a purposeful adult life. And this is one of the areas that many kids need to catch up on. (To become a strong reader, keep reading.)
The program was a community builder and kids learned all about empathy and deeply listening to one another, even when viewpoints were so different. A presence of love and respect was apparent and valued by one and all.
Like many of the kids on the max unit, Luis began life with a chaotic childhood. At 11 years old he felt emotionally empty and was drawn to a gang. He began using heroin at age 12 and used for a very long time. The first death he lived through was his young homie, who fell off a roof during a police chase. Luis was there and saw the death.
I became very interested in Luis and his work when I learned that one of his favorite sayings was “Books saved me!” What did that mean? How did that fit into his street life? As he has shared, while bullets were flying on the street he was in a public library reading. He loved reading and eventually he began to write and became an award-winning author and poet. For many years he has been free of his addiction to alcohol and heroin and out in the world teaching kids and others how to avoid gangs, leave gangs and live one's greatness.
Break the cycle
One of my favorite things is to see kids get addicted to books. As a teacher, I encouraged kids to trade a gang addiction or drug addiction for a book addiction. It was my theme when I worked as a teacher in the library at juvenile hall: If you want a book recommendation, ask me.
I once had a book delivered to the library on the day of a staff meeting and opened it before the meeting, “Run Baby Run,” by Nicky Cruz. Another amazing story. I put the book on my lap and sat in the meeting and read the book! I couldn't stop reading. Nicky Cruz has a ministry to help redirect gang kids. He had a pretty intense early life and then a mentor helped him move to another lane.
One thing I always included in book club were young children's books, for toddlers and young kids, to teach the max kids how to read to their young children. There are special ways to do that to tune into your kids and really let them guide the process. Stay on a page for as long as they want. Let them take in every image and listen to your words as you share the story. Let them associate every great story with your love as you kindly and eagerly read to them.
Sometimes you will laugh together and sometimes there is a sad story. When a child cries, just be there and allow those feelings and then give comfort. This is a great way to teach about sadness and to let your kids know that tears are part of life. It is one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent, sharing the joy and the sadness.
Some of you may recall that a parent or guardian did not read to you. That was a loss to everyone. Consider the circumstances and the hardships those parents or guardians endured. Life was likely very hard for them. And also likely that their parents did not read to them.
This is a good time to break the cycle and learn the tips for reading to kids. Lost moments in a childhood can serve to guide life as we go forward: Create the lives you want, deserve and dream of. Remember that you are worthy of a purposeful life and deserve a second chance no matter what has occurred in your past.
Read bedtime stories, daytime stories, anytime stories. Read. Read. Read. Your kids will grow up happier and smarter. Many kids have told me their homes did not have books. You can change that in your parenting practices. Go to the public library and check out books. Do this every week or two and create a lifelong habit for your children. And read books for you! Like “Always Running.”
I was notified that Luis was going to be in our city as a speaker during Banned Book Week. I'm happy to say that permission was given to take a group of kids to the program. Not from inside Central Juvenile Hall, but a group of kids who had advanced to a program next door We drove to the program in a probation van and arrived with such eagerness and joy, I had contacted Luis to let him know we would be there and he agreed to meet with the kids after his talk. Which he did. He shook hands with each one and signed a copy of “Always Running.”
One young woman was in charge of taking the book back to her facility and she treated it like a holy artifact. She felt such honor to meet Luis, to listen to him talk about his street life, his juvenile hall days and jail time. And to talk about his days of heroin and alcohol and now his days of teaching and writing and presentations and awards and contributing to a better world.
To deeply understand
Luis has always said to find your greatness. He sure did and you sure can. Go to book club if they have one at your facility. Go to the library if you can. Ask your teachers for books, stories, poetry and children's books. There is magic in books. See if you can organize a book club. There is such inspiration in books. Nicky Cruz and Luis. J Rodriguez are great authors and inspirational men.
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The best part of book club for me was seeing kids awaken to the gifts in themselves and in books. To hear them talk and talk and talk about a poem or story. To deeply understand how it can guide their own lives and create a map for life inside and outside.
I have met so many incredible kids and prison folks. I especially remember one encounter with a kid who loved book club, came to the program every time and then was moved to another classroom, which meant he could no longer attend. While in book club he learned to listen to others, share his perspective, read to his young child and feel the solidarity and love of the book club members. He also learned about his greatness. I never stopped talking about that so he knew for sure that he had great gifts before he was transferred. In spite of gang affiliation and a serious crime, he knew that he could redirect his life, just as Luis has done.
Although I have written the words below, they are in his voice and in his honor. He would be about 30 years old now. I hope he got to read to his toddler son. A great love is born between a dad or mom and a son or daughter when books are shared. It is something that can be passed on, generation to generation and all the love goes with those books and stories.
“I don't go to book club no more.
“They moved me.
“Rules are rules.
“Can't mix the units.
“The club gave me hope.
“Learned how to read to my kid.
“He's only 2 now
“I'll put him on my lap
“and turn those pages
“real slow and not till
“he's done looking.
“No hurry at all.
“I learned to follow what he wants.
“Nobody did that for me.
“Teacher says we can't have
“what we lost
“But we can have something new
“that makes our heart feel big and full.
“One day after I left the club,
“Teacher came into my class.
“She gave a talk on some story.
“When she finished she walked
“down the row, not on my row,
“one row over.
“I couldn't get up
“and so I leaned and leaned
“and leaned some more.
“I reached out my hand to shake hers.
“In max if you stand up, there's big trouble
“So I just stretched my body as far as I could
“And then we shook hands.
“So much respect in that handshake.
“I gave it and I got it.
“Respect changed that moment.
“I felt important and strong.
“I remembered my greatness.
“Those times in book club.
“are gonna stay with me.
“Felt so good to learn and feel loved
“all at the same time.
“Am gonna make sure my kids read.
“Give 'em books not guns.
“Meet up with a homie in a library.
“Like Luis way back in the day.
“Books instead of bullets.
“Stories for their greatness.”
Jane Guttman is a retired correctional educator, wellness educator, emotional literacy specialist and prison life literacy advocate. Her book, “Kids in Jail: Portrait of Life Without Mercy” addresses the pain for kids and the inspiration of kids.
The Beat Within, a publication of writing and art from incarcerated youth, was founded by David Inocencio in San Francisco in 1996. Weekly writing and conversation workshops are held in California, six other states and Washington, D.C. Submissions and new partners are welcomed. Write to him at dinocencio@thebeatwithin.org.