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A review by jamie_o
The Shot Caller: A Latino Gangbanger's Miraculous Escape from a Life of Violence to a New Life in Christ by Casey Diaz
5.0
I love a good redemption story, and this one did not disappoint. It is intense.
Darwin "Casey Diaz" was born in El Salvador and emigrated to the U.S. with his parents as a baby. His parents were poor and his father an alcoholic who couldn't hold down a job, leaving his mother to work several jobs. Worse yet, his father ruthlessly and regularly beat and verbally abused Casey and his mother. It's easy to see how gang life appealed to him.
Casey was jumped into a gang at age 11. He pulls no punches in describing his life in the Rockwood gang. He earned the fear and respect of others by being extremely aggressive. He beat, stabbed, and killed other gangbangers and watched as others did the same. The violence is difficult to read but necessary to understand his story - it's explicit in places, though not over the top. He respectfully uses symbols for swear words.
At age 16 he was sentenced to 12 years for second-degree murder and armed robbery. He was eventually transferred to the notorious New Folsom prison near Sacramento where he spent three years in solitary confinement (he was considered to be among the most dangerous of prisoners). At some point, a little old black lady doing prison ministry began to pray for him. Months later he had a jarring experience with God in his cell and accepted Jesus as his Savior. His life was radically changed and he began to read the Bible daily and attend prison Bible studies. The remainder of his time in prison consisted of beatings from other other gang members, something of a prison revival, and God working in his life in amazing ways.
The book was fascinating. All of it. I learned about the struggles of poor immigrants, gang life, prison life and the corruption that often goes along with it, and the faithfulness of a man transformed by Christ.
"Mr. Diaz," he said, "we don't let anyone out early, especially on such serious charges such as yours, but we believe that something special has really taken place in your life. We also believe that you became a changed young man in here. The very fact that you've turned your back on your gang members speaks volumes. We know all about the beatings you took for doing that. There's documentation and proof in your file. You've apparently gone through some extreme changes inside this prison and risked your life for what you believe. You're to be commended for taking those actions."
Darwin "Casey Diaz" was born in El Salvador and emigrated to the U.S. with his parents as a baby. His parents were poor and his father an alcoholic who couldn't hold down a job, leaving his mother to work several jobs. Worse yet, his father ruthlessly and regularly beat and verbally abused Casey and his mother. It's easy to see how gang life appealed to him.
Casey was jumped into a gang at age 11. He pulls no punches in describing his life in the Rockwood gang. He earned the fear and respect of others by being extremely aggressive. He beat, stabbed, and killed other gangbangers and watched as others did the same. The violence is difficult to read but necessary to understand his story - it's explicit in places, though not over the top. He respectfully uses symbols for swear words.
At age 16 he was sentenced to 12 years for second-degree murder and armed robbery. He was eventually transferred to the notorious New Folsom prison near Sacramento where he spent three years in solitary confinement (he was considered to be among the most dangerous of prisoners). At some point, a little old black lady doing prison ministry began to pray for him. Months later he had a jarring experience with God in his cell and accepted Jesus as his Savior. His life was radically changed and he began to read the Bible daily and attend prison Bible studies. The remainder of his time in prison consisted of beatings from other other gang members, something of a prison revival, and God working in his life in amazing ways.
The book was fascinating. All of it. I learned about the struggles of poor immigrants, gang life, prison life and the corruption that often goes along with it, and the faithfulness of a man transformed by Christ.
"Mr. Diaz," he said, "we don't let anyone out early, especially on such serious charges such as yours, but we believe that something special has really taken place in your life. We also believe that you became a changed young man in here. The very fact that you've turned your back on your gang members speaks volumes. We know all about the beatings you took for doing that. There's documentation and proof in your file. You've apparently gone through some extreme changes inside this prison and risked your life for what you believe. You're to be commended for taking those actions."