So, Trejo, by Danny Trejo is so not my typical read. A memoir written by a super bad-ass Hollywood gangster – and real life gangster – is not what I am usually drawn to. But, Greg picked this book up on one of his and Taylor’s many treks to Barnes and Noble and raved about the book, so I gave it a try.
To begin with, Danny Trejo is an incredible human. I know that sounds cliché – but its true. This guy has lived so many lives, and each of them so unbelievable interesting! Danny Trejo tells the story of his life growing up in the San Fernando Valley and how his life of drugs and crime landed him in some of the hardest core prisons – including San Quentin- before he was old enough to vote. Deciding that he was either going to change his life or die in prison, Danny began a life of a drug-rehab counselor and then finally an actor that everyone knows.
This book was an incredible story that kept me captivated from beginning to end. Trejo does not sugarcoat any part of his life and is the first to point out that he continually failed as a husband (to many wives!) and oftentimes as a father as well. I found this book to be a fascinating look at the prison system within California was well; how the innerworkings between guards and inmates unfolds and the privilege’s that are allotted to some ad not to others.
Overall, I was really glad I went outside my comfort zone and read Trejo. I learned so much and definitely have a new appreciation for this man who is so much more than “just” and actor!
right turn ahead 