Amazon.com: Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen: Reymundo Sanchez, Sonia Rodriguez: Books

Review

"A viciously candid, self-deprecating memoir." —Chicago magazine

"An oftentimes painful, close-up look at the blow-by-blow evolution of a female gang leader. . . reveals the fear, despair, and longing inside a seeming heart of stone." —Gini Sikes, author, 8 Ball Chicks: A Year in the World of Girl Gangs

"A brutal, chilling firsthand account of how a young person who is raised without positive family values will reach out to a gang to find a support system and a substitute family." —Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and founder, the Jesse White Tumblers, an anti-gang and -drug program

Product Description

This is a raw and powerful memoir not only of one woman’s struggle to survive the streets but also of her ascent to the top ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs were members of her own. At age five Sonia Rodriguez’s stepfather began to abuse her; at 10 she was molested by her uncle and beaten by her mother when she told on him; and by 13 her home had become a hangout for the Latin Kings and Queens who were friends with her older sister. Threatened by rival gang members at school, Sonia turned away from her education and extracurricular activities in favor of a world of drugs and violence. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became her refuge, but its violence cost her friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly her life. As a Latin Queen, she experienced the exhilarating highs and unbelievable lows of gang life. From being shot at by her own gang and kicked out at age 18 with an infant daughter to rejoining the gang and distinguishing herself as a leader, her legacy as Lady Q was cemented both for her willingness to commit violence and for her role as a drug mule. For the first time, a woman’s perspective on gang life is presented.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556527225
ISBN-13: 978-1556527227
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

#23 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Hispanic & Latino
#36 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Hispanic American Studies
#38 in	Books > Nonfiction > Crime & Criminals > Gangs

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
quarter bags, cocaine business

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Latin Kings, Puerto Rico, Humboldt Park, Puerto Rican, Latin Queens, Green Eyes, Queen Nation, Uncle Jose, African American, Queen Psycho, Stone Kents, Imperial Gangsters, South Side, Richmond Street Dancers, Humboldt Boulevard, Insane Deuces, Latin Disciples, Cook County, Rhythm of the Night, Aunt Maria, Bolivian Rock, Roberto Clemente High School, North Side, Detective O'Quinn, China White

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	66% buy the item featured on this page: Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen 3.0 out of 5 stars (10) $16.47
	15% buy My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King (Illinois) 4.6 out of 5 stars (93) $11.53
	11% buy Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King 4.5 out of 5 stars (22) $11.53
	5% buy Locas: A Novel 3.9 out of 5 stars (12) $10.19

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

chicano literature(2)

gangs(2)

memoirs(2)

gift idea(1)

hispanic(1)

See all 12 tags...

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Do Children Join Gangs?, April 28, 2009

By	B. Wolinsky "Ben's Reviews" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was less than halfway through the book when I realized a sad fact; I was no longer shocked! The terrible things happening to the protagonist were becoming too common in the story. It seems as though her life couldn't be anything BUT abusive. This isn't a story of the "downward spiral"; it's someone born into the "spiral."

This girl is sexually abused by her uncle, then her cousin, and when she tells her mother about the molestation, she gets beaten. When that happened, I was no longer shocked that she got involved in gangs. This was a child who had no advocate, no supportive parent, and nobody really cared. If she'd told her teachers what was going on, what would they have done? This was an era when child molestation wasn't taken as seriously as it is now. This girl had nowhere to turn to but the gangs.

"Lady Q" is not terribly well-written, but it doesn't need to be. This is a story that all teachers and social workers should read, if you want to understand why kids get involved in gangs from an early age. Gangs aren't anything like the ones portrayed in "West Side Story." Kids don't join gangs because of racism and poverty; they join because it's a substitute for family and it gives them a sense of power.

Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, April 16, 2009

By	T. Ferrer (Cali) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved the book.... i thought it was well told... I can see y some people might not like it but I guess when you grew up seeing people fall into those same situations one would see the story differently..

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

2.0 out of 5 stars An interesting story that is covered by juvenile writing, March 2, 2009

By	Cristina Mclaughlin "Cristina625" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is little that isn't compelling about this story. A young girl in an abusive home and environment falls into the arms of the gangs around her for a source of protection and love. She rises through the ranks from being a street soldier to leading one of the largest distributors of cocaine in Chicago. It's a morally reverse rags to riches back to rags story. The facts in the novel are raw and hard hitting but nevertheless poorly told.

My first major qualm with this story is that it is one long elaborate summary that didn't seem to go through much revision or was even artistically presented in any way. Although this was done entirely through an interview, we rarely get any direct quotes from Lady Q herself or even the line of questioning that leads up to those questions. We don't physically or emotionally "see" this story through description or otherwise. Lady Q's reactions to these questions (outside of the 3 minute cry at the novel's inception) are totally absent from the story and thus any emotional connection the reader could have made as well. Instead we are presented with a poor commentary from the author himself with seems devoid of any color, character or personalization. Lady Q herself seems a vapid character in spite of the constant assurance that she has a charismatic and magnetic personality. I feel like the author is spoon feeding us characterization and description instead of relying on writing talent to tell us the story.

Let me quote to demonstrate:
"Sonia remembers a gang-warfare incident that happened on a sunny day during the first summer her family spent in their new apartment. Her mother was sitting and looking out the front window down the boulevard. She noticed and commented on three young men in their late teens to early twenties sitting on the opposite side of the boulevard in the shade of the trees who were rolling and smoking joints. They sat on the Latin Kings side of the boulevard and stood up only to flash the Latin Kings hand sign at cars passing by. At one point they all left but returned soon thereafter, each carrying a 40 oz. bottle of beer wrapped in a paper bag. Moments after they returned from their beer run 2 of the 3 men got up and began shaking the hand of the third guy who was still sitting against one of the trees. The handshakes ended wit the Latin King's hand sign being thrown up in the shape of the crown. Suddenly the 2 standing guys pulled out guns and opened fire on the guy sitting against one of the trees."

I mean this scene is shocking and a will make an impact but not because of the writing which honestly sounds like a 12 year old wrote it. I really wanted to like this story and was hoping it was evocative enough to infuse into my curriculum but there is just no way. A story like this should make your heart bleed or at least seethe with fury at some point but "eh" or "huh" is all you can expect from this novel.

Comment Comments (3) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars No sense of responsibility at all....
Aside from the fact that this book is poorly written, Lady Q's "story" just doesn't do anything for me. I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for this woman. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Ella

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacqueline's Review of Lady Q

"As they passed Juan, he pulled off his belt and began swinging. The girls dropped the bags of laundry and took off running. Read more

Published 5 months ago by M. Sheridan

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
So I absolutely loved both of Sanchez's previous books but this one was disappointing!!! It is written by Sanchez and telling Lady Q's story...not at all what I expected. Read more

Published 6 months ago by A. Gutierrez

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre. I was a little disappointed.
I read My Bloody Life and DEVOURED every word on every page, I was completely impressed with it and passed it on to many people who loved it just as much as I did. Read more

Published 8 months ago by C. Martinez

1.0 out of 5 stars Fluffy
What a bunch of fluff to cover up all the lives Lady Q messed up and murdered.
She knows right from wrong and she still can't get it together. Read more

Published 11 months ago by fluffy

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book, chilling, will bring tears to your eyes, sonia's story must be read!!
Never could i imagined being in Sonia's shoes. The pain she endured during her life was painful and hard to believe. I can't believe she lived a life like that. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Sherica Aregbe

2.0 out of 5 stars It was OK...
I have read both of Reymundo Sanchez books and they were great! But this book... pretty much repeated it self over and over and over again. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Leslie

› See all 10 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
biography WHAT T IS THE BEST BIOGRAPY YOU EVER READ?	215	4 hours ago
biography what is the best memoir of 2008-2009?	26	5 hours ago
memoir Have You Written a Memoir - Come Tell Us About It.	703	6 hours ago
biography What are some of the best biographies of women you've ever read.	50	17 hours ago
gift idea Great Handmade gift Ideas	0	17 hours ago
gift idea What is the WORST gift you got this year?	442	22 hours ago
memoir drug memoirs	26	1 day ago