Monster

“Monster is an incredible, often brutal look at one man’s rise from child to “ghetto star” killer to revolutionary black activist…. Shakur has an excellent dry wit and a fast-paced style…. The importance of Monster is that it explains the gang lifestyle; it shows us how much more there is to learn before we can begin to solve the problem.”

—Jeff Charles, Houston Chronicle

“This remarkably straight-ahead account of life as a member of an L.A. street gang lets those of us on the other side feel and know a bit of what street life is like.”

—Scott Walker, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

“The real force of the book comes from the angry electrifyingly violent, streetwise credibility that Scott gives his story. While it is no doubt depressing, it demonstrates the stern measures that must be taken to control our cities, and the monsters who terrorize them… . Anyone who wants to know why our urban areas are dangerous combat zones should read these stunning, sinister memoirs of Kody “Monster” Scott.”

—Louis B. Cei, Richmond Times-Dispatch

“[An] electrifying life story: an angry, stunningly violent odyssey through gang warfare and prison to redemption.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“[Monster] is a compelling and frightening, bizarre, yet insightful insider’s look at the society that spawned gangs and the gang’s violent retaliation within it. If that was [Sanyika Shakur’s] goal with Monster, to reveal the vagaries of gang-banging and its deadly consequences, he clearly succeeds.”

—Tony Cox, Quarterly Black Review of Books

“With an eye for detail and a straightforward writing style, Shakur depicts a myriad of brutal scenes with cool clarity.”

—Steve O’Neil, Albuquerque Journal

“[Shakur] makes us see what we do not want to see through writing that is fresh, forceful and poetic.”

—June Arney, Virginian Pilot and Ledger Star

“The book succeeds as the story of a man struggling to make sense of a hostile environment, and Shakur must be credited for progressing from gang-banger to messenger.”

—Paul Tullis, Might Magazine

Copyright

Copyright © 1993 by Kody Scott

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, or the facilitation thereof, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Printed in the United States of America

Published simultaneously in Canada

This is a work of nonfiction; the names of some persons involved, however, have been changed.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication

Scott, Kody, 1964–

Monster: the autobiography of an L.A. gang member/Kody Scott.

ISBN 10: 0-8021-4144-7

ISBN 13: 978-0-8021-4144-6

1. Scott, Kody, 1964–.   2. Crips (Gang).   3. Gangs—California—Los Angeles—Biography.   I. Title.

HV6439.U7L774   1993   364.1’06’092—dc20   93–14948

Designed by Laura Hough

Grove Press

an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

841 Broadway

New York, NY 10003

Distributed by Publishers Group West

www.groveatlantic.com

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