Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1954, Mr. Rodriquez grew up in the streets of Watts and East Los Angeles. He became involved in gangs at the age of eleven and recalls having lost at least 25 of his close friends to gang violence by the age of 18. Mr. Rodriquez found that he had a passion for writing and left the gang world, only to return in his memories to write Always Running La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Mr. Rodriquez’s memoirs of his gang days became one of the most controversial and inspirational books of the 1990’s.

Despite his controversial works, Mr. Rodriquez has been awarded with critical acclaim and awards including: the New York Times Notable Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, and the Heroes of Compassion Award presented by his holiness the Dalai Lama.

Currently Mr. Rodriquez resides in California where he manages the Tía Chucha Cultural Center, which he co-founded to help youths stay away from gangs.