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by: Luis J. Rodriguez

ISBN: 9781416584179 | 141658417X

In a harrowing journey from drugged-out gang member to one of the most revered figures in Chicano literature and American letters, Luis J. Rodríguez continues the remarkable story of his bestselling memoir, Always Running.

Hundreds of thousands of readers came to know Luis J. Rodríguez through his fearless classic, Always Running, which chronicled his early life as a young Chicano gang member surviving the dangerous streets of East Los Angeles. The long-awaited follow-up, and the winner of a National Book Critics Circle ... MOREAward, It Calls You Back is the equally harrowing story of Rodríguez’s attempt to start over, at age eighteen, after his final stint in jail and nearly a decade of gang life. He describes with heartbreaking honesty his challenges as a father, and his difficulty leaving his rages and addictions completely behind. Even as he breaks with “la vida loca” and begins to discover success as a writer and an activist, Rodríguez finds that his past—the crimes, the drugs, the things he’d seen and done—has a way of calling him back.

When his oldest son is sent to prison for attempted murder, Rodríguez is forced to confront his shortcomings as a father and to acknowledge how and why his own history is repeating itself, right before his eyes.

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Luis RodrÍguez, author of the classic memoir Always Running, chronicles his journey from a drugged-out gang member to one of the most revered figures in Chicano literature. Hundreds of thousands of people came to know Luis J. RodrÍguez through his fearless classic, Always Running, which chronicles his early life as a young Chicano gang member surviving the dangerous streets of East Los Angeles. The long awaited follow-up, It Calls You Back, is the equally harrowing story of RodrÍguez starting over, at age eighteen, after leaving gang lifethe only life he really knew. It Calls You Back opens with RodrÍguez's final stint in jail as a teenager and follows his struggle to kick heroin, renounce his former life, and search for meaningful work. Even as he breaks with "la vida loca" and begins to discover success as a writer and an activist, RodrÍguez finds that his pastthe crimes, the drugs, the things he'd seen and donehas a way of calling him back. When his oldest son is sent to prison for attempted murder, RodrÍguez confronts his shortcomings as a father and acknowledges how and why his own history is repeating itself. Deeply insightful and beautifully written, It Calls You Back is an odyssey through love, addiction, revolutions, and healing.