Customer Reviews

Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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. I read the first few chapters and agree with the rest of the reviews that it is repetitive and does not have the "feel" of the previous books. Needless to say, I went back and returned it to Borders and got some other book. I'm going to wait until the price goes way down to finish it, You should too! Definitely, not worth spending so much money on!

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.

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.

Great book along with the rest of Reymundo's. Almost like new condition. A+++++ Cant wait for more from him as I use it with the teens that I counsel.

While Reymundo Sanchezs' first two books were hands down my favorite, and by far the best, this book hit home. I can relate to so much of this book. And for those who understand, this is the nasty truth that we all try to forget, push aside, or overlook. But the struggles she went through are all too common. And this is a must read. I cannot speak more highly of this book.

I work with students who are highly involved in gangs. A girl in my homeroom suggested that I read this book. I am looking forward to it!

I liked this book, but it could've been better. I read "My Bloody Life" and "Once a King Always a King" so I was a little disappointed with this. I was expecting a great biography like Reymundo Sanchez, but that fell short of my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it, but at the end of the book I was left wanting to know more. I wish the overall book would've had more detail. Coming from a very similar background I was expecting more...better luck next time I guess.

I bought this book as a gift for a fifteen year olg girl who struggles to keep gangs out of her life. She loved it and says it reminds her stay strong and keep her goals in front of her. I would recommend it as a gift for junio high or high school girls.

One of the best true life female gang books I have read. It was one of the few books I couldn't put down until it was completed!

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. Of course, upon finishing that book, I couldnt wait to get my hands on the second book, Once a King, Always a King, which I also loved and passed on to others who were anxiously waiting ti read it. So you can imagine how eager I was to read THIS one, I was instantly intrigued when I saw it was about the same type of situation but while focusing on a female. Oh how disappointing. I found myself reading it and being far more critical about the subjectof the book, which I didnt like feeling. I'm not sure what could have improved it, I just wanted to write this to let others know that if you've read the other two and enjoyed them and are looking forward to reading this one and being equally satisfied, you probably wont be.