Book Review: 'Trejo' by Danny Trejo

✰✰✰✰½ Danny Trejo is a very recognizable man both on screen and off, but his own story is the stuff movies are made of. In this autobiography, Danny shares stories of growing up, surviving prison time, overcoming addiction, and landing roles in movies. He's led a very busy life and is still going strong. From a life of crime to leading man, Trejo's story is motivating and engaging. 

The Bottom Line: This was a quick weekend read. Although not for sensitive readers, I appreciated the author's candidness. Trejo's ability to turn his life around is inspiring. He has faced plenty of adversity, and besides reaching fame, he has reached out and helped many along the way. This autobiography is an interesting read; enthusiastically recommended for anyone who enjoys books about celebrity life.

Book Club Notes: Our group rating averaged around 4.5 on a scale of 1 - 5. This book was readable and engaging. The author tells it like it is and isn't shy. Highly recommended for groups that enjoy celebrity autobiographies. We also took a look at Danny's cookbook, Trejo's Tacos. He's a very busy man, who has ended up doing great work in the area of addiction and recovery. 

At the time of our discussion, there weren't any discussion questions available online. Thus, as the facilitator, I created a list of questions which are available below. You are free to use these questions for your personal use, but please credit this site. Thank you!

Discussion Questions: 

Did you know anything about this person prior to reading this book? 

Family:
Discuss Danny’s relationship with his father? How did his father treat others?

Discuss the family secret. How did that affect his relationships with his parents? And how did the secret affect the way Danny thought of women in his own relationships. 

Was his family a good influence on Danny? Or bad? What was the family legacy?

Danny talks about a culture of destructive machismo. What did it mean to be a Trejo man?

 
Why was Trejo a disappointment to his father?

 
How did the birth of Danny Boy change his life?

 

How does Danny Boy moving to live with his mother affect Danny?

 

What impact did it have on Danny Boy? Did it give him opportunities his siblings didn’t have?

What kind of a father was Trejo to his own children? 

How did his father’s death affect his relationship with his mother?

 
Prison Life:
Discuss Danny’s time in prison. How did he survive?

Talk about fighting fires. How did it make them feel? 

Danny describes San Quentin as the most Right Now place on Earth.

What does he mean by that?

How did boxing benefit Danny? 

Discuss the two types of people in prison: predator & prey. 

How had the world changed while he was in prison?

When he got out, his own parents didn’t want him at home. How did that make him feel? Was he going to be able to handle the outside world? Had too much changed?

Discuss the first time he robbed a store?

How did movies help Danny in prison?

Women:
Discuss his relationship with his wives/partners.

What was his relationship with women/girls like as a child?

How did Danny view marriage? 

Discuss “one in the house, one in the street.” 

How did he finally lose everything to Debbie Shreve? 

How did his daughter Danielle make Danny rethink how he thought about and spoke to women?

Faith:
How did faith help Trejo overcome his addiction? He writes on p. 57, “Faith shoves fear out of the room. There’s no room for fear if you fill your soul with faith.”

Discuss his first attempt at morning prayer/meditation: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

Discuss forgiveness. Danny talks about the magic of forgiveness. What makes forgiveness so profound? How does one start?

Addiction:
Discuss trying drugs for the first time. How did Uncle Gilbert influence him? Was Danny influenced by genetics or environment?

 

Discuss the turning point for Danny. What made him want to get sober and stay sober?

Discuss his work in rehabilitation.

Danny writes that the one thing people are surprised about when it comes to recovery is the laughter. How is laughter a great healer? 

Discuss Danny’s work in the field of treatment and recovery. How did it change him? 

Danny writes that he was able to get more done than the average therapist or social worker. Why is that? 

Celebrity:
Discuss his start in movies?

How did he learn to act?

What roles did he play?

Do you think for some of the roles he was hired as an actor? Or as an ex-convict?

What influence has he had in the industry? What influence has he had with Latino actors?

Discuss Machete. How did that film/role affect his celebrity status in children? How did he handle that responsibility?

What do superhero or fantasy movies give the audience? (Hope & strength)

Has Danny been a positive influence overall?

General Questions:
Did your opinions change after reading the book?

Let’s talk about the writing style and language of the book, in particular, the use of profanity.

What are the book’s strengths & weaknesses? 

How thought-provoking did you find this book?

What was the main theme of this book? 

Did you learn anything new from the author? Please share.

Was there a specific story that stood out for you? Or a quote? Something memorable? Impactful? Shocking? Or surprising? 

 

What are some of the social implications of the book? How does it challenge or support your beliefs? 

How did Trejo portray the other people in his life in this book? Who influenced him the most? How did women influence him (childhood, relationships, daughter)?

 

Discuss some of Danny’s poor choices? What were some of his good choices?

 

How did Trejo discuss his relationship with his parents? And how did this change over time?

 

Did this story make you reflect on your own life & experiences at all? How so?

 

Is Trejo a reliable narrator of his own history? 

Discuss the photos included in the book.

Why do you think the author was motivated to share his life story? What was his goal?  Do you think the author was trying to elicit a certain response? Has the book changed how you view the author?

Were there any instances in which you felt the author was not being truthful? Why? How did you react to these sections?

What is the author’s most admirable quality? Is this someone you would want to know?

How does this book compare to other memoirs you have read?

Is there anything you like or dislike about the book that we haven’t discussed yet? 

Trejo talks about the 1950s, 60s, & 70s. What are your thoughts about life during those decades? 

What was the most challenging or difficult part of this book to read. How did you overcome it?

Would this make a good movie? Who would you cast?

If you could ask Danny one question, what would it be?

Danny drops many celebrity names, what did you think about including other celebrities?

How much do you think Donal Logue contributed to this project? 

Ratings 1 - 5. Why did you like this book or not? Would you recommend it to someone? 

NOTE: This list of questions was created by Nana Herron for MiniBookBytes Book Reviews and is available for personal use only. As a courtesy, please credit this site. Thank you! 

Details: Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo with Donal Logue. Paperback published by Atria in 2021. 288 p. ISBN: 978-1982150839

Book Review: 'Founding Mothers' by Cokie Roberts

✰✰✰ Back in the day, a brief mention of the Founding Fathers in a high school history class was common. We learned about the accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and more, but what about the women of the American Revolution? Often the women, be it wives, mothers, or sisters, would only be mentioned in passing, if at all. 

Well, journalist Cokie Roberts wondered about them as well and dove into telling their stories. Using letters and research, Roberts gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life during Colonial times. While not in the spotlight, women like Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Mercy Otis Warren were a force to be reckoned with. 

The Bottom Line: With many characters and long chapters, I had to read this book in small portions. I found the lives of these women to be fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about life during the American Revolution. These women made many contributions to American History; however, their efforts are seldom acknowledged. Recommended for American History classes for high school and college and for those interested in reading about the American Revolution. 

Book Club Notes: Members of our book club were eager to read about these clever and courageous women. On a scale from 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, ratings ranged from 2.5 - 4, with an average of 3.2. This turned out to be an engaging discussion about what we thought we knew about the Founders of our country and what our new perspective brings to our understanding of the American Revolution. 

Highly recommended for American History buffs and those interested in Women's History. This was a great pick for book clubs due to the many stories of all the characters being woven together. We agreed that this book was useful and factual. However, the stories jumped around throughout the book, and the many nicknames made for confusing reading at times. It would have been nice if the "Cast of Characters" was in the beginning of the book instead of page 279. 

While there are questions available online, I mostly relied on my own for this discussion. I am happy to share these questions with you; however, if you use them for your discussion, please credit this site: 

Discussion Questions by Mini Book Bytes: 

What was life like for the average woman during the Revolutionary War?

What kind of education could a girl expect to receive during Colonial times?

What was a woman’s role in regards to men? P. 29

 

How did being married affect women legally & financially as compared to being single or widowed?

 

Discuss the frequent pregnancies. Discuss the frequent death of babies/children. 

 

Why were the contributions of women during the American Revolution largely overlooked?

 

What made the relationship between Abigail & John Adams different?

 

How did women balance having/raising children and being involved in politics?

 

Discuss “having it all.” P. 49

What was life like for the Founding Mothers as compared to other women at the time? 

How did they influence their husbands and other powerful men?

 

While John Adams was helping create a new country, Abigail reminded him to "remember the ladies." What did she mean by this?  P. 60

 

Though John Adams respected his wife's opinions, why didn't he accept the notion that women should participate in political conversations? P. 70

 

Discuss the quote: Behind every great man, there’s a great woman. P. 76

 

What kind of sacrifices did these women make? 

Only two of the women mentioned in the book were women of color. Why?  

Discuss the institution of slavery at the time. Did any of the Founding Mothers disagree with this or question it?

The American Patriots fought to earn freedom from the British, but who else sought freedom?

Discuss Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African American poet, who wrote poems supporting the Revolution.

Discuss the importance of letter writing at the time.

When the Founding Fathers were away, how did their wives fare running the businesses & farms. And when their husbands were off fighting battles & forming laws for the new nation, what crucial roles did women play?

Besides fighting the British, the young country was almost at civil war. Discuss the Loyalists and rebels.

Who was Catharine Macaulay? Why would an Englishwoman be so interested in the American cause?

Women often accompanied their husbands to army camps, including Martha Washington, Kitty Green, & Lucy Knox. Did this surprise you? What roles did they play at the camp?

How did the wives' wealth and connections help some of their husbands? Ex. Alexander Hamilton.

How did Martha Washington set the tone for First Ladies to follow? P. 230 How did she feel about being First Lady? P. 235

Nevertheless, Martha Washington was determined to be happy. What philosophy served her? P. 238

How was education for women affected by the Revolution? What changes came about?

Who or what inspired George Washington to run for a second term? P. 262

What qualities did the Founding Mothers have in common? 

 

By reading about the Founding Mothers, did you learn anything new about the Founding Fathers?

 

Who was your favorite Founding Mother? Why?

 

Who was your favorite Founding Father? Why?

 

Discuss the writing style. Roberts often intersperses her thoughts & commentary throughout the book. Did this add to the book?

Did you find the use of nicknames confusing? 

Ratings 1 - 5. Why did you like this book or not? Would you recommend it to someone? 

This list of questions was created by Nana Herron for MiniBookBytes Book Reviews and is available for personal use only. As a courtesy, please credit this site. Thank you!  

Details: Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts. Paperback published by Perennial in 2005. 384 p. ISBN: 978-0060090265