Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood / Danny Trejo

RATINGS

Overall: 4/ 5 stars

Text Level: Easy

Entertainment: High

Self-Help: High

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir, Crime, Film

Page Count: 274

Is this book right for me and my inmate?

Inmates trying to free themselves from alcohol and drug addiction while escaping the family cycle of incarceration that brought them to jail will find this book inspiring.

Buy on: Amazon

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

How an addict and felon became a believed Hollywood star.

This was a great book that really inspired me and I feel it could do the same for anyone that reads it. Even though this was a memoir of Danny Trejo's life through gangs and prison, to Hollywood stardom it was a relatable tell that all readers could see themselves in. If you are an inmate, addict or family member trying to better understand what a life of incarceration is then I highly suggest you read this book.

As an inmate I could really relate to Trejo in the since of it seemed we both shared this feeling of unfulfillment in our actions. By not being able to find meaning fufillemt in our lives it created situations where we chose to cope in unhealthy ways. These unhealthy ways were what led Trejo to prison for a decade. He used drugs and alcohol mixed with violence to establish who he was as a man. Not until he became clean and found his true meaning in life was he able to break the cycle of incarceration that plagued his family for generations. I really appreciate how open he was in this book about his own struggles and his families' continued troubles. It really inspired me to believe an average man that commits himself to change can achieve it if he dedicates his will towards it. Being able to share how he worked to break his old thinking patterns of what a man had to be is something I think a lot of inmates can find the courage to do.

One key area of the book for me is where he talks about the need to give back and serve others. It made me think that I might not have all the answers of how my life will turn out right now as I sit behind bars, but I can start that change for the better if I just start looking ways to serve others for a higher purpose. Finding that meaning for why I'm alive and then channeling it towards something of passion was a lesson Trejo showed. I believe anyone can learn and grow from that.

Book Quotes

"Faith shoves fear out of the room. There's no room for fear if you fill your soul with faith."

"It's always been so simple: if you want to feel better about yourself, help someone else."