Monster: The Autobiography Of An L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur Book Analysis

The book ‘Monster - The Auto Biography of an L.A. Gang Member” by Sanyika Shakur has made me more aware to an entire world I hardly even knew existed. I have heard about gangs and violence in poverty-stricken areas but never thought there were all out wars going on within so many inner cities. It is hard for a person like me to fully understand where gang members come from with their actions and beliefs because we simply did not grow up in the same type of environment. I found myself trying ridiculously hard to put my long-term beliefs aside to get a better understanding of where they are coming from while reading this book. The book has taught me a lot about the lifestyle gang members are living in such a poetic way that I felt like I was part of it for a moment. I have always been terrified of gangs and this book has given me a better understanding of why they come across as so intimidating.  

Initially, in beginning the book, I must admit I was slightly biased by the idea that the people in these areas had a choice to participate in the violence that surrounds them. I have been raised to believe that you decide who you want to be, how you want to act, and treat others. The famous quote “treat others how you would like to be treated” has always been a part of my ideology. Though it only took a chapter or two to realize that many of these people in the gang society never had a chance to start out on the right foot. Many of them have been told from an early age that they are nothing but troublemakers with no morals. For example, Sanyika, like many others, has been degraded in high school by teachers, principals, and parents before they even get the chance to graduate. When reading his story, I could not help but feel awful for him and others alike because I could see a chain of events beginning to unfold when he explained suspension from high school stopping him from going to graduation. I cannot imagine that this was the first time he got accused or wrongfully disciplined. Tearing him away from education was the first mistake made by the oppressors. This is where the ‘cancer’ starts. 

The importance of school is undervalued, school is a place where many people can learn to feel accomplished, start to find a purpose, and learn right from wrong. When a student is pushed away from this, they begin to lack all these important traits leading the to try and find them elsewhere. Sanyika proves my point by admitting he enjoyed the sense of power that came from his violence, his purpose was to be the most intimidating man around that would do anything to protect his hood. I think that if he would have been treated differently in school, he may have had a better opportunity to set out to find a better purpose and make a great life for himself. Furthermore, it was education from others that helped change his thought process and actions towards the end of the book, leading him to eventually make better choices for himself and those around him. I imagine that if people in the same position as Sanyika were given a chance to redeem themselves and be given a fair chance to enjoy learning at an early age, we would see more people striving for opportunity and growth instead of violence and hate.  

Then I was asking myself, where exactly does the hate come from? Sanyika makes a point that the Crips are the Crips worst enemies. This did not make sense to me at first. Why would they be fighting each other? Why not stand together and live as a team? Through reading further, I come to realize that they are contained within their own small world, a small world where gang members are split by territories that they feel they need to protect. They devote their time to crimes against each other which eventually put them into the prison cycle. Then it seems that in prison the same sort of wars continues only without guns this time - just shanks and other handmade weapons. This vicious cycle of constant pain and high-strung environment makes for the perfect elements that lead to unstable people. There is no true help for the mind-bending symptoms that come from this type of lifestyle which means it will continue to get worse. I am honestly still not sure how Sanyika has made such a recovery after seeing all the horrible scenes of people dying and getting dehumanized over the years when he was a gang member. I do not think I would ever be sane again especially without professional help.  

After seeing the transformation that Monster has endured when becoming the new and improved Sanyika Shakur – a revolutionary black activist - I also have realized that gang members are kept in the dark from what is really happening to them. They are being targeted by a powerful, malicious group because of their characteristics. Many of them are now so blinded by the wars they feel obligated to participate in that they never realize that they are in a cycle that will never end. It does not matter which gang has ownership of which street; all members of every gang will have lost the ‘war’ in the end. They will either die or end up rotting in prison for the rest of their lives. It is the perfect strategy for those who want to oppress them and keep them segregated from their own daily lives. We said in class once, keep gang members focused on killing each other so they will not come into civilian territory. I cannot help but to imagine what would have happened if these murderers had gotten the same love, respect, and opportunities that I did when I was growing up. Would this social cancer have grown to such a vast size to where we can no longer control it? At this point I am afraid of what the future holds because there is not anything – at least that I can think of – to fix these circumstances and eventually I am sure there will be a revolution to come. 

I can say that I feel for these people who are stuck in a gang lifestyle but on the same token, I am quite terrified of what they can do. I wish I could help, but I do know that there is not anything I can do to change this lifestyle that formed. This whole crisis hurts my heart because I know that even if the gang members themselves try and mute their human traits like the need for love, grief, etc. I imagine it will always catch up to them and they will feel the pain. “Laugh Now Cry Later,” is such an upsetting idea to me because the ‘laughing’ that many of these people are signing up for is not worth the amount of ‘crying’ it will cause later. After learning of the disturbing things that they do in their wars – like gunning down a whole group of their ‘enemies’- without remorse but instead rejoice made me wonder if their brains have been transformed from the human brain that I am familiar with. I know that if I would kill like they do, even if it were one of my enemies, I would not be able to continue living my life normally. Again, I had to put myself in their shoes, I understand that in the lifestyle they are living - killing gives them a sense of power and control. It is the only source available to them where they can feel these emotions. This eventually led me to believe that they have not lost the ability to be remorseful because many of them are emotionally debilitated after losing someone close to them but instead they have a deranged perspective behind the emotions they feel when killing their enemies.  

There are still many things to learn after reading this Autobiography, but the point is that it gave me a push to pay closer attention to what is happening around me. It is important to me to stay up to date on the happenings of gang violence in the United States because I do believe that one day it will affect us all in a great capacity if nothing is done to help relieve it. By staying informed could potentially lead to solutions or preparations to make an effort to repair the damage that has taken place or attempt to prevent any more from happening. As of right now I do not have any of those solutions or the power to take action myself, but I do know how to prepare for my safety. By staying aware I can avoid areas that can potentially be dangerous to be in, I can inform others for their safety, and I can report anything I see that might put people at risk. This book has given me a great explanation of why I have always feared gangs by giving me a true inside look of their relentless behavior when it comes to protecting their way of life. Even though I do not personally know Sanyika Shakur, I can say truthfully that I am proud of him for the progress he has made with the tools he had to work with.