Books › Monster › Books like it
If you loved
Books like Monster
A visceral, unflinching descent into the heart of L.A. gang warfare and the arduous climb toward radical self-awareness. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Monster.
- tense
- bleak
- adrenaline-fueled
- claustrophobic
- 01
Black Gangster
Donald Goines · 1972
A raw, unapologetic descent into the ruthless hustle of the streets where ambition is paid for in blood.
- 02
Always Running
Luis J. Rodriguez · 1994
A raw, poetic descent into the brutal realities of gang life and the hard-fought climb toward self-reclamation.
- 03
My bloody life
Reymundo Sanchez
A raw, unflinching descent into the brutal reality of street life and the desperate human hunger for belonging.
- 04
Manchild in the promised land
Claude Brown
A candid, unflinching immersion into the realities of coming of age in a harsh urban landscape.
- 05
Bad Boy
Walter Dean Myers
A candid, deeply felt reflection on hiding your true self to survive, and the quiet rebellion of loving books.
- 06
The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Tupac Shakur
A raw, intimate glimpse into the tender and defiant heart of a generational icon.
- 07
Manson in his own words
Charles Manson and Nuel Emmons
A chilling, confessional descent into the making of a notorious criminal mind and the dark end of the 1960s counterculture.
- 08
Ghettoside
Jill Leovy
A sobering, investigative dive into the systemic fractures of race, policing, and mortality in Los Angeles.
- 09
Soledad Brother
Jackson, George · 1971
A raw, epistolary testament to survival and political awakening from within the walls of an oppressive prison system.
- 10
Makes Me Wanna Holler
Nathan McCall · 1994
An unflinching, deeply personal examination of how systemic alienation breeds violence, and the hard-fought journey toward self-reclamation.
- 11
Solitary
Albert Woodfox
A sobering, unforgettable testament to human endurance in the face of unimaginable isolation and systemic injustice.
- 12
LAbyrinth
Randall Sullivan · 2002
A dizzying descent into the dark, corrupt underbelly of 1990s Los Angeles where the line between cops and criminals vanishes entirely.
