Thursday , March 28 2024
Sanchez's new book offers a rarely seen female perspective on gang life.

Interview with Reymundo Sanchez, co-author of Lady Q, The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen

Reymundo Sanchez is the pseudonym of a former Latin King who no longer lives in Chicago. He is the author of My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King, Once a King, Always a King, Latin King: Una vida sangrienta, and the latest, Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen, co-authored with Sonia Rodriguez and published by Chicago Review Press. Sanchez has appeared on Fox News Chicago, Telemundo, and Univision. In spite of his busy schedule, he was kind enough to answer a few questions.

About the book:

A compelling, powerful memoir, Lady Q tells the story of Sonia Rodriguez, one woman’s struggle to survive the streets as well as her ascent to the top ranks of the new mafia. Sonia was only a mere child of five when her stepfather began to abuse her. At  ten she was molested by her uncle. When she told her mother about it, her mother’s response was to beat her up. By the time she was 13 her home was regularly visited by the Latin Kings and Queens who were friends with her older sister. Not much later she turned away from school and education as a way to avoid the threatening rival gang members that throve there. The result? A world of violence and drugs. Her refuge became the notorious Latin Kings, but their violence cost her friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly her life. The story describes Sonia’s experiences in the exhilarating highs and unbelievable lows of gang life. From being shot at by her own gang and kicked out at age 18 with an infant daughter to rejoining the gang and distinguishing herself as a leader, her legacy as Lady Q was cemented both for her readiness to commit violence and for her role as a drug mule.

Short Interview:

When did you start your career as a writer?

With the first book released in the year 2000. It took about eight years to put together.

Please tell us about your latest release, Lady Q, The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen. I understand you wrote it in collaboration with Sonia Rodriguez. How did this project come about?

Great majority of e-mails, MySpace/Facebook hits I get are from females from the hood that are in some way affected by the gang lifestyle, so I decided to tell the woman’s side of it.

Was it hard writing someone else’s memoir?

Yes. Had to separate myself emotionally from the person I was writing about in order to present an un-biased story.

What is the main message of the book?

That not all kids join gangs because they have nothing better to do, and that gangs are not the “family” they make themselves out to be.

How do you think the book will help young people?

By providing non-sugar coated, real accounts of a lifestyle that seems so attractive to many… they will hopefully realize what they are getting themselves into and chose a different path.

How has the writing of this book affected you as a person and writer?

It has challenged me to reach for a broader reading audience.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?

Gangs, whether they are female or male, are a product of a blind, uncaring community. To think otherwise is to allow gangs to flourish, and apparently most communities are thinking otherwise.


About Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. Represented by Serendipity Literary.

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One comment

  1. i am a law enforcement officer from chicago, about 15yrs ago i lost a cousin (who was like a brother to me) to street violence (latin king member), he died in vain, i and his fellow blood family members mourn his loss daily, i hope and pray word gets out others. i believe these young men and women are owed more than street life, they are more than street life, i hope someone can tell them that before it’s too late