The Book Review: “Street God” by Dimas Salaberrios

 

“One day Tank and I became so desperate to get high that we robbed his next-door neighbor’s house. Talk about risky! I didn’t care where I sold, as long as I had enough money to replenish my supply and enough crack for myself to smoke. In fact, I was about to hit rock bottom”. – Dimas Salaberrios 

 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Tyndale Momentum and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not heard of Dimas Salaberrios before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the description. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book of my review.

When I read the description of the book I thought that it will be an awesome read. I would like to share a little insight about me before I start the review. I worked for the German Federal Police for several years before I joined the United Nations Security Department in New York and I can proudly say that I have seen it all. From drugs, to homicides, to suicides and back. Unfortunately nothing was left out for me. I also finished an Associates Degree at LaGuardia Community College (right next to the Queensboro Correctional Facility – and yes, they offer programs for detainees to attend classes at the college or to finish their GED!) and transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I finished with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice/Forensic Psychology in 2012.I have been at Rikers Island Jail with one of the Corrections Classes I have taken which was a very intense experience) John Jay College offers a plethora of great Criminal Justice Programs. One of my favorite professors throughout my four year college experience was Professor Peter Moskos. He is a professor of law, police science and criminal justice administration. He has also written three books that I have all read. My favorite was “Cop in the Hood” because I simply could relate to so many things he wrote about. Having all this background and reading “Street God” was very interesting because it had been written from the perspective of the “other side”; the criminal side. 

Let’s dive into the book review. 

I love memoirs. This is most likely one of my favorite books to read because the individuals write about themselves and it is usually very intimate. The book starts out pretty rough by Salaberrios’ description of his early life in the drug world of Queens/New York. Even though is parents are considered as “normal” (his mother is an elementary teacher and his father works in a correctional facility) This was probably the most shocking part to realize that Dimas had a great childhood and “good” parents. Dimas wanted to be the Street God; the best known drug dealer with power and money.  He starts dealing and even consuming drugs to the extend where he almost hit “rock bottom”. I thought his description of the drug dealers and gang life was pretty interesting, especially if I keep in mind that I lived a couple of minutes away from where he lived. The further I kept on reading I was more and more surprised how he ended up surviving living this crazy drug life – specifically after taking drugs himself. 

When you read Dimas’ story and you think it cannot get worse, everything changes but I don’t want to give the plot away here. I think it is just an amazing story that is difficult to put down because of Dimas’ honesty. I recommend this book to parents and teens to simply read and try to understand how the inner city life really is. I think the book is a great leaning experience and full of love and forgiveness. 

Thank you for reading my blog. You want to read the book? Order it here. Share your thoughts in the comments below. 



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