My name is Rosario Gomez. I'm twenty-three years old.
Rosario used to be in a gang called the Barrio Kings. He dropped out of high school and he was the best street fighter around.
I came up rough. My neighborhood was on the news almost every night, and the news was never good. It was the kind of barrio nice people don't visit. There was nothing there for them. There was nothing there for me either. There was only survival, and I had to fight for that.
For three years Rosario has kept a job and stayed out of trouble. He has a girlfriend and a baby on the way and he has set some goals for himself, starting with finishing high school.
Rosario's friend Juan is released from prison. Juan doesn't have anywhere to go, so he asks Rosario if he can stay with him for one night. Juan gives Rosario a hard time for leaving the Barrio Kings gang.
"Look at you," he says. "You look like Mr. Clean. What happened to you? Where your colors at?"
Can Rosario escape the gangs? Is he going to get revenge for his brother's murder? Will the Vandals leave Rosario and his family alone? The Barrio Kings is a great read for those who are interested in learning about gangs. It's a great read for kids who struggle to find a high-interest book for a non-reader.
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
*A clean read for teens!
Not available at NOLS, yet!
