“The story of one man’s painful spiritual journey from violence toward transcendence… A book that sheds harsh new light on the violence that erupted… after the Rodney G. King verdict… The volume attests not only to Shakur’s journalistic eye for observation, but also to his novelistic skills as a storyteller, an ear for street language that is as perfectly pitched as Richard Price’s, a feeling for character and status potentially as rich as Tom Wolfe’s. This is a startling and galvanic book.”
“A first-person chronicle that exquisitely documents urban warfare in the streets of Los Angeles since 1975, providing ample glimpses of its reach into the claustrophobic prison system… Scott-Shakur pens this vicious treatise with relentless sincerity riddled occasionally by humorous anecdotes…. Scott-Shakur proves an impressively capable storyteller.”
“Is Shakur compelling? Yes… he voices the rage and desperation among bangers.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“[An] electrifying life story: an angry, stunningly violent odyssey through gang warfare and prison to redemption.”
“[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.”
“With an eye for detail and a straightforward writing style, Shakur depicts a myriad of brutal scenes with cool clarity.”
“[Shakur] makes us see what we do not want to see through writing that is fresh, forceful and poetic.”
“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.”