T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. [Paperback]

Sanyika Shakur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2009

The follow up to his best-selling memoirMonster, Sanyika Shakur’sT.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.is a vicious, heart-wrenching and true-to-life novel about an LA gang member that masterfully captures the violence and depravity of gang life. Shakur’s protagonist is Lapeace, the leader of the Eight Tray Crips gang in South Central Los Angeles. In a deadly gunfight with Anyhow, a Blood and Lapeace’s rival since childhood, eight innocent civilians are killed. Anyhow is captured. Lapeace becomes a fugitive and he must hide out in the home of his girlfriend, Tashima, a hip-hop mogul as a pair of crooked LA detectives, John Sweeney and Jesse Mendoza, attempt to track him down.
This novel was written from the confines of Shakur’s jail cell, and the authenticity of its street scenes—the relentlessness of violence, the do-or-die attitude of each side of the gang war, the sheer joy in the killing—is a testament to the hell that has been a majority of Shakur’s life. WithT.H.U.G. L.I.F.E., Shakur delivers a powerful and gripping story about the terror of gang life and one man’s attempt to free himself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fiction follow-up to his well-received memoir, Monster, Shakur produces a visceral and strikingly real portrayal of gang life in Los Angeles, replete with sudden and inexplicable violence, revenge, betrayal, ostentatious living, racism, the strong arm of law enforcement, drugs, love and loyalty indistinguishably blurred. Protagonist Lapeace Shakur, a high-ranking Crip, is forced to live as a fugitive when his longtime archenemy, Anyhow, a high-ranking Blood, is arrested and tortured until he confesses about Lapeace's involvement in a fatal shooting. When the word on the street comes back that there was a videotape of the shooting, it leads to the deaths of several gang bangers and some of the cops on Lapeace's trail. Shakur is better than anyone else in the street lit game at making his characters feel like real people, even if the psychology is sometimes ham-fisted. This gang life novel is the real deal. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Four years ago, Shakur wrote the best-selling Monster, chronicling gang life on the streets of Los Angeles. In his fiction debut, he again takes the reader into the life of South Central L.A. gangs. Lapeace, an associate of the Crips, gets into an exceptionally bloody shoot-out with Anyhow, a member of the Bloods. The two have been rivals since childhood and see the eight innocent civilians killed in the shoot-out as collateral damage. A pair of corrupt detectives, John Sweeney and Jesse Mendoza, track down the shooters. On the run, Lapeace takes refuge with Tashima, a beautiful hip-hop mogul with a weakness for gangster types but an insight into the plight and struggle of such men. Lapeace’s relationship with Tashima reflects his own propensity for and interest in business success—and legitimacy—beyond the street level. But with associates like Sekou, the streets always seem necessary for survival. This fascinating novel reflects the raw violence and moral ambiguities of street gangs and the cops who police them. --Vernon Ford --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; First Trade Paper Edition edition (August 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802144241
• ISBN-13: 978-0802144249
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gangsterism Continues, July 23, 2008

By 

T. Jenkins "Serious" (West of Medical Center, South of Highland) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. (Hardcover)

Gangsterism Continues in this gripping "partially" fictional account of Sanyika's experiences post Monster. Having read some of the inferior works which were inspired by the commercial success of "Monster" the autobiography, it was refreshing to see the talent and originality which earned Sanyika critical acclaim back on display. T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. is no less dramatic as life in the hood provides enough drama filled moments for a hundred books.

Love, loyalty, deceit, anguish, pain, hope, disappointment and confusion are as much the focus as the assortment of crooked cops, gang rivals and assortment of characters from ETG. The main character is LaPeace an older more focused version of the infamous Monster. The reference being to the state of living the author has been forced into as he struggles to escape his notorious past. La being Swahili for No coupled with peace.

The author also deals openly with the pain of a failed marriage making little effort to conceal the identity of his ex-wife Tamu from LaPeace's unfaithful mate Tammy. He talk's about his concern for his children and his search and desire to find true love. Of course his loyalty to his hood remain a central focus and we are introduced to a new generation of homies from ETG. Crazy De, Diamond, Sidewinder, Tray-Stone, Tray-Ball, Mad Bone and Lil Spike are mentioned in passing as a reminder of the reverence and esteem in which they are held by the author. Tiny and Sista Monster, Lil, Baby, Tiny Stag, Sista Sodi, Sekou and a variety of new personas round out the cast.

One of the most interesting portions of the book is the authors explanation of the shooting of Tupac Shakur. That alone is worth the price of the title as Sanyika draws on past interviews and conversations with accused triggerman Orlando Anderson and former Death row records head Suge Knight to formulate an interesting narrative. No love is shown for Suge Knight who appears as Deathrow Records Chief Simon Knowles nor is there any love for an unidentified character known as Bingo though there is more than enough bio information provided on Bingo to identify him to those in the know. There is also a detailed explanation of his involvement with the Spear and Shield collective and his identification with the Shakur tribe.

The author proves once again he is one of the best at painting word pictures and including the reader in the events of which he writes. If you enjoyed Monster, then you'll undoubtably enjoyed T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.

Featured characters are
LaPeace Shakur - Sanyika Shakur
Askari Shakur - Tupac Shakur
Simon Knowles-Suge Knight
Tammy Shakur - Tamu Shakur
Baby Lane - Orlando Anderson
John Sweeny - LAPD
Jesse Mendoza - LAPD
Tashima -

1.0 out of 5 stars Grove Press Must Be Hard Up To Publish This Mess, November 2, 2011

By 

Joe Graves (Alberta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. (Hardcover)

T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. reads as though it was written by a middle school student with delusional, violent tendencies and a passing acquaintance with the English language. Grove Press clearly feels no responsibility to the book-buying public when it foists this puerile garbage on us. Murder, drugs, theft are presented as though they are a justifiable way of existence. Shakur may not be selling himself short with this nonsense, but he does no justice to anyone else. If you're curious, find the book in a library. Don't buy it and pad the coffers of the author or Grove Press.

4.0 out of 5 stars THUG LIFE, September 1, 2010

By 

D. Williams "Chaven56" (Syracuse, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. (Paperback)

I enjoyed the book, but it was too much of shooting and killing and dirty cops.. I know this stuff really happens in life but I just got tired of reading the book. It was a good read, but a lot of details that I just didnt care to know about.