Every society experiences periodic changes in its way of living. These realities exist, especially in the United States. (U.S.). A new pattern of gang life started to appear on American streets in 1993. The first book to give an account of this way of living was Shakur Sanyika's Monster. By disclosing the violent and sensational actions, the book's author raised some questions about the criminal justice system. As a result, the purpose of this essay is to evaluate the book, paying particular attention to its summary, key themes, textual strengths and weaknesses, and overall setting.
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member is a story that narrates how Kody Scott joined and left the gang life. Kody grew up in a region that was full of vehemence, wretchedness, and gangs. He came from a single parent family, and his mother was not in a position to provide for his needs efficiently. As a result, his life was full of struggles for survival between the 1960s and 1970s (Saunders, 2014). Since experience in Los Angles was all about becoming a gangster, Kody faced a lot of pressure to join the gang life. Upon turning eleven years, he decided to join a gang and began his ghetto life. His primary motivation to participate in the ghetto life was the respect that its members received. He was determined to remain a committed member of the ghetto life for thirteen years. During this period, he was part of the Eight Tray Gangsters. He led a life of shootouts in shops, residential areas, streets, and took part in kidnappings, car-jacks, robberies, killing friends and enemies among other sorts of illegal activities. With time, Kody realized that he caused problems to the African race and society. As a result, he purposed to quit thug life.
Kody goes through a transformation from a young boy to Monster Kody and then to Sanyika Shakur. Jail life helped to transform his character. For instance, he joined the Muslim group where he gained his new identity as a black nationalist. The many obstacles that Sanyika Shakur overcomes in his life transformed him to become a real survivor. He later managed to move into a world of peace.
Themes
Violence
The dominant theme identified in this book is violence. From the definition of violence that the author provides, it refers to a structural arrangement or action that leads to bodily or emotional injury to the victims. The book: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member reveals different incidences of violence, which are notably motivated by drug abuse. A good example is when Kody kills his friends and enemies to gain money.
Delinquency
The theme of delinquency tries to provide a reason why many young people from Los Angeles took part in the crime. For instance, the book attempts to enlighten why Kody engaged in offending acts. The social pressure that Kody had to go through in life exposes him to crime. Also, this theme shows how the eight-year-old Gray Gangster caused cold-blooded killings. Some of the crimes that were committed by this gang include jail rapes, riots in jail, shootouts in shops, houses, streets, and many public places (Saunders, 2014). The name Monster Kody was a product of delinquent theme. For example, engagement in extreme crime activities made him acquire the title.
Religion
Religion is a theme that exists in this book though not depicted at the beginning of the book. However, towards the end of the book, this idea is evident. For example, while in jail, Kody became a Muslim convert. The ideologies of Muhammad transformed him, and as a result, he acquired the name Shakur Sanyika. After the jail life, he picked up the concept of Jihad and began the fight against racist oppression throughout his life (Saunders, 2014). Despite the fact that it took a lot of years to realize that he was doing wrong, the author of the book seems to depict the significance of religion to the society. As such, this theme has a strong influence on violence; hence, leads to a significant improvement of character.
Weaknesses and Strength
The most significant strength of this book is that it is written from a perspective of a person who spent thirteen years as a gangster. The writing attracts the reader's attention since it is written from experience with little imagination. Thus, this style helps to bring out a clear picture of the restive region in Los Angeles. Further, this technique gives a unique experience to the reader due to vivid imagery. Above all, the author reveals his close to death experience of surviving six shots, a method that brings out the reality of what it takes for one to be a thug.
There are some weaknesses in this book. One of the major flaws is that the author uses a lot of details to explore his family background. Consequently, it may lead to a wrong perception that the poor environment was the motivating factor that caused him to join the gang group. However, a more in-depth exploration of the book reveals that the nature of his family did not contribute to his aggressive behavior. The book is also biased regarding racial orientation. For instance, it displays the blacks as aggressive people who majorly rely on crime to fight racism.
Significance
The book is significant in criminology as it shows the relationship between power and crime. For example, Kody joined the gang group because he wanted to gain respect from his peers. While in these groups, he earned the ability to participate in activities that boys of his age could not. By the time he turned 16 years, he had achieved a significant level of reputation in society (Saunders, 2014). Therefore, the need to increase power and strength is the most significant motivation for any person who aims at becoming a star in gangster groups. The urge to gain control caused a lot of pressure on Kody so that it became hard for him to avoid becoming a member of the gang. Therefore, the book puts a lot of emphasis on the criminology theory of crime and power.
Criminology theories account for the importance of frustration and aggression and their contribution to crime. Assault is a product of the psychological orientation of a person, preventing him/her from attaining the required goals. As a result, the person engages in criminal activities. The same case was with Kody since the social pressure caused him to lose focus on achieving academic goals; hence, opted to participate in crime (Ronald, 2013).
The relationship between crime and poverty is a common theme featured by criminology theories. The first chapter of the book covers the issue of poverty. These conditions made him go through a lot of suffering (Hugh & David, 2010). Before he made decisions to engage in the gang life, Kody had to overcome many miseries in life. Therefore, the decision to join the ghetto life was to gain the ability to end his poverty. Accordingly, the book tries to reveal the extent to which poverty and the environment shape the social life of a person. Therefore, the majority of the youths join crime as a way of ending their poverty.
In criminology, racism is a significant factor that causes crime. The fact is especially evident in the United States where the majority of the African-Americans join criminal gangs as a way of countering racism. The book supports this theory. For example, most of the people who formed the gangs came from the minority groups (Francis & Pamela, 2010). The Jihad concept revealed in the book has a primary aim of enabling people in the minority groups to struggle for freedom and churn racism.
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member book is very significant from a criminology point of view. It is very relevant in supporting most of the criminology theories. Also, this book is very appropriate in revealing the facts about the life that young people go through as they struggle to make ends meet. Adoption of the facts presented in this book can help authorities to adopt effective measures to curb crime in society (Siegel, 2016). In most cases, the methods used to control crime are not useful since they do not lead to behavioral change among the subjects.
References
Francis, T. C., & Pamela, W. (2010). Encyclopedia of Criminological Theory. Boston: SAGE.
Hugh, D. B., & David, K. (2010). Explaining Crime: A Primer in Criminological Theory. Boston: Rowman & Littlefield.
Ronald, L. A. (2013). Criminological Theories: Introduction and Evaluation. Boston: Routledge.
Saunders, S. (2014). Monster. New York: Riverbank Publishing.
Siegel, J. L. (2016). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Boston: Cengage Learning.
