There is only one winner in boxing. Fighting against your opponent and fighting against your own inner demons become one in the same. Those who survive both in and out of the ring are beloved worldwide. Those who do not spiral downward into drugs, prison, and even murder. "[My] life's been pretty tragic," remarks Johnny. "But in the ring, it's been a blessing." Mi Vida Loca is not just a nickname for Johnny, but a legendary tale of a life lived over the edge and back.

The award-winning memoir of life in an LA street gang from the acclaimed Chicano author and former Los Angeles Poet Laureate: “Fierce, and fearless” (The New York Times). Luis J. Rodríguez joined his first gang at age eleven. As a teenager, he witnessed the rise of some of the most notorious cliques in Southern California. He grew up knowing only a life of violence—one that revolved around drugs, gang wars, and police brutality. But unlike most of those around him, Rodríguez found a way out when art, writing, and political activism gave him a new path—and an escape from self-destruction. Always Running spares no detail in its vivid, brutally honest portrayal of street life and violence, and it stands as a powerful and unforgettable testimonial of gang life by one of the most acclaimed Chicano writers of his generation. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Luis J. Rodríguez including rare images from the author’s personal collection.

TOO HAPPY TO BE SAD GIRL: A Self-Help Memoir Written by an Iconic Brown Girl Boss!Are you looking for the courage to finally start living your truth? Are you ready to find happiness in yourself, stop struggling with self-worth, and finally kick anxiety to the curb? Now's the time! Too Happy to Be Sad Girl is an inspiring guide that will make you laugh, cry, think, and finally stand up for yourself!If you've spent years feeling like you've put everyone else's needs ahead of your own, struggling with self-esteem, or just felt like you were not living up to your potential, you're not alone. Every one of us has a unique journey, often filled with pain, hardship, and a hefty dose of dark times. Every one of us must find the strength and courage to live with and on purpose. Angel Aviles is one of those people who made a living making movies. In fact, in 1993, she appeared as the Sad Girl in the cult classic filmMi Vida Loca. She had a beautiful life in Los Angeles but at some point, her battle with anxiety and panic took her from heaven through hell. She fought for years to gain her self-confidence and learned so much in the process. In 2011 Angel began a side hustle as a life coach. Today, she's helped countless women find worthiness and happiness in themselves. With her book, you can begin the process of becoming "too happy," too!This book special because:It's an autobiography that reveals how Angel learned to use her anxiety and change her life.It's a straight-up guide to helping you understand who you are, what you want and find joy getting there.It's a riveting story. As you read, you will feel less alone and inspired to pursue your dreams.It's fun, it's adventurous, it's daring, it's sad, it's dark, it's everything in between. Angel is not your typical life coaching guru. In fact, she likes to think of herself as a comadre, a trusted friend, full of love and genuine advice.

Chicano style from and beyond the pages of Mi Vida Loca magazine....

Sofia's adventures and disasters continue in this compilation of three previously published books.

A reformist magazine tagged to gang culture reprints letters and art from imprisoned gang members in this startling depiction of life in the hispanic ghetto. Original.

An uninhibited portrait of growing up gay in 1980s Alabama: exploring art and sex with “more layered insight than the page count should allow” (Hanif Abdurraqib, MTV News). DeShawn lives a high, creative, and promiscuous life in San Francisco. But when he’s called back to his cramped Alabama hometown for his uncle’s funeral, he’s hit by flashbacks of handsome, doomed neighbors and sweltering Sunday services. Amidst prickly reminders of his childhood, DeShawn ponders family, church, and the men in his life, prompting the question: Who deserves love? A modern American classic, Since I Laid My Burden Down is a raw and searing look into the intersections of memory, Blackness, and queerness. “Performance artist Purnell beautifully captures a personality through introspection and memory in this slim novel . . . a compelling portrait of a particular disaffected kind of gay youth caught between religion, culture, and desire.” —Publishers Weekly “It’s a true novel, chaptered, and bound, that not only holds its own as queer literature, with its unapologetically misanthropic narrative, but also expands upon it.” —San Francisco Chronicle “An antidote to the rigamarole of gay lit.” —Mask Magazine “Slim yet potently realized, with a lot to ponder.” —The Bay Area Reporter “Since I Laid My Burden Down has a fearless (sometimes reckless) humor as Brontez Purnell interrogates what it means to be black, male, queer; a son, an uncle, a lover; Southern, punk, and human. An emotional tightrope walk of a book and an important American story rarely, if ever, told.” —Michelle Tea, author of Castle on the River Vistula