Danny Trejo is an amazing person. He's been through so much, but his outlook is still positive and he gives so much back to his community. I enjoyed reading his autobiography to get more insight into the man. I loved hearing him as a keynote speaker at the annual Texas Librarian Association conference. He's such a giver. We need more books like this.

I have been somewhat fascinated with Danny Trejo ever since I read a little of his story. He began life as one tough dude, in prison and on drugs, but then he found a way out, got noticed by a stunt coordinator, and began a long, prolific career as the instantly recognizable Mexican baddie and/or folk hero with a face like ten miles of bad road. Movie professionals with whom he has worked, and there are tons of them, say he is a really sweet guy and a complete joy to work with. Countless fans see him as a groundbreaking Chicano actor who gets it right when he tells their stories.

I was really excited to find that Netgalley would let me read this ARC. It was a great read. Trejo's early life is just every kind of bad thing one can imagine. He was groomed for a life of crime and prison from an early age, and first shot up heroin when he was 12. The stories he tells are way better than most movies you will see. He really has been in the bad places he portrays in the movies; he's the real deal.

But one day he was in solitary, detoxing, and he just gave up his life to God. He said, "God, help me." and instantly he felt peace, and an echo of the word "help." He took this to mean that he needed to give God control of his life, but also if he wanted help, he had to help other people. He proceeded to spend the rest of his life doing just that. For the next 50 years he worked as a recovery counselor and did everything he could to mentor, sponsor, and bring people back from the edge.

I found the spiritual tone of this book just right, in that Trejo does not preach or sound sanctimonious. He just says he prays every day and that it is only by the grace of God that he is alive, working, sober, and surrounded by good friends and family. Also I appreciated his honesty about the fact that the dysfunctional culture of what we now call "toxic masculinity" in which he was raised made it difficult for him to treat women with respect or to tell family that he loved them. He says his daughter Danielle is the person who stood up to him and really made him aware of how this was hurting those who loved him. He is candid about his own struggles with sobriety, and especially about the heartbreak of watching his own children go through the same thing.

I think pretty much anyone will appreciate Trejo's honesty and authenticity. These are some of the wildest stories I've ever heard, and if they made it, it would be a killer movie. I just don't know who would play him because he is such an original..

Although the book is for mature readers in terms of language, drug use, gangs, and violence, I really think it would be a great book to pass along to a reluctant teenaged reader, especially if they are already fans of Machete or Spy Kids or any of Trejo's other movies. Enjoy!

Trejo says he is not merely a Mexican, he is The Mexican. Danny Trejo tells his life story through a series of intermingled incidents as he progresses from juvenile delinquent to criminal to federal prisoner to boxer to movie actor to villain supreme of the screen. Trejo says his life was a nightmare until he turned it over to God. Only after he made it a life goal to help others did he find success as an actor and a good person. I would highly recommend this book to those looking for a memoir/autobiography - one of the best I've read recently!