Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
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- Create Date：2021-06-24 19:31:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Danny Trejo
- ISBN：B08SFRHHGS
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Summary
For the first time， the full， fascinating， and inspirational true story of Danny Trejo’s journey from crime， prison， addiction， and loss to unexpected fame as Hollywood’s favorite bad guy with a heart of gold。
On screen， Danny Trejo the actor is a baddie who has been killed at least a hundred times。 He’s been shot， stabbed， hanged， chopped up， squished by an elevator， and once， was even melted into a bloody goo。 Off screen， he’s a hero beloved by recovery communities and obsessed fans alike。 But the real Danny Trejo is much more complicated than the legend。
Raised in an abusive home， Danny struggled with heroin addiction and stints in some of the country’s most notorious state prisons， including San Quentin and Folsom， from an early age， before starring in such modern classics as Heat， From Dusk till Dawn， and Machete。 Now， in this funny， painful， and suspenseful memoir， Danny takes us through the incredible ups and downs of his life， including meeting one of the world’s most notorious serial killers in prison and working with legends like Charles Bronson and Robert De Niro。
In honest， unflinching detail， Danny recounts how he managed the horrors of prison， rebuilt himself after finding sobriety and spirituality in solitary confinement， and draws inspiration from the adrenaline-fueled robbing heists of his past for the film roles that made him a household name。 He also shares the painful contradictions in his personal life。 Although he speaks everywhere from prison yards to NPR about his past to inspire countless others on their own road to recovery and redemption， he struggles to help his children with their personal battles with addiction， and to build relationships that last。
Redemptive and painful， poignant and real， Trejo is a portrait of a magnificent life and an unforgettable and exceptional journey through tragedy， pain， and， finally， success that will transfix and inspire。
On screen， Danny Trejo the actor is a baddie who has been killed at least a hundred times。 He’s been shot， stabbed， hanged， chopped up， squished by an elevator， and once， was even melted into a bloody goo。 Off screen， he’s a hero beloved by recovery communities and obsessed fans alike。 But the real Danny Trejo is much more complicated than the legend。
Raised in an abusive home， Danny struggled with heroin addiction and stints in some of the country’s most notorious state prisons， including San Quentin and Folsom， from an early age， before starring in such modern classics as Heat， From Dusk till Dawn， and Machete。 Now， in this funny， painful， and suspenseful memoir， Danny takes us through the incredible ups and downs of his life， including meeting one of the world’s most notorious serial killers in prison and working with legends like Charles Bronson and Robert De Niro。
In honest， unflinching detail， Danny recounts how he managed the horrors of prison， rebuilt himself after finding sobriety and spirituality in solitary confinement， and draws inspiration from the adrenaline-fueled robbing heists of his past for the film roles that made him a household name。 He also shares the painful contradictions in his personal life。 Although he speaks everywhere from prison yards to NPR about his past to inspire countless others on their own road to recovery and redemption， he struggles to help his children with their personal battles with addiction， and to build relationships that last。
Redemptive and painful， poignant and real， Trejo is a portrait of a magnificent life and an unforgettable and exceptional journey through tragedy， pain， and， finally， success that will transfix and inspire。
Reviews
Emily Bush
，
Danny Trejo lived a long， hard life - all before he was 25。 A drug dealer and user， he ended up in some of the country’s most notorious prisons。 After doing time in places like Folsom and San Quentin， Danny found the strength to come clean and sober with help from God。 He didn’t grow up in a loving home， but always had lots of family around him who helped him… even when they were helping him find drugs and going on armed robberies together。 Knowing he would die in prison if he didn’t change， Dan Danny Trejo lived a long， hard life - all before he was 25。 A drug dealer and user， he ended up in some of the country’s most notorious prisons。 After doing time in places like Folsom and San Quentin， Danny found the strength to come clean and sober with help from God。 He didn’t grow up in a loving home， but always had lots of family around him who helped him… even when they were helping him find drugs and going on armed robberies together。 Knowing he would die in prison if he didn’t change， Danny made a choice to live differently。 He has helped open many recovery facilities in the San Fernando Valley and helped so many people kick their addiction to drugs and alcohol。 When he was helping others， he was helping himself as well。 Although he had troubled relationships with women and sometimes his children， Danny found a way to keep going。 Through illnesses， his kid’s own drug problems， and acting， Danny found himself closer to God and farther from the life he thought he was destined to have。 This is an incredible story of redemption。 There are times it was hard to follow as stories jump around and many people are introduced， but overall， definitely worth reading。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Danny Trejo recounts his journey from troubled childhood， through addiction and incarceration to sobriety， redemption and life in Hollywood。 I'd seen Danny Trejo in many movies usually playing the bad guy who ends up getting killed but it wasn't until I saw him playing with puppies while giving an interview that gave a peek at his true self。 While playing with those puppies （who he promised to find good homes for） his hard exterior melted away and he became a happy， young boy receiving unconditi Danny Trejo recounts his journey from troubled childhood， through addiction and incarceration to sobriety， redemption and life in Hollywood。 I'd seen Danny Trejo in many movies usually playing the bad guy who ends up getting killed but it wasn't until I saw him playing with puppies while giving an interview that gave a peek at his true self。 While playing with those puppies （who he promised to find good homes for） his hard exterior melted away and he became a happy， young boy receiving unconditional love。 As he recounts his life， he doesn't sugarcoat what he's been through and he takes responsibility for the choices he made。 His unwavering dedication to helping others， whether they are recovering addicts， former inmates or the hardworking crews on movie and TV sets， is his key to staying happy and healthy。 Although brutal at times， I'm very happy I read this book to learn more about this unique performer。 。。。more
Wanda Argersinger
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We've all seen him， now we can know his story。 Danny Trejo， a man who went from the streets of Los Angeles to prison， and then on to movies to become the most killed man in America。 Danny Trejo tells the brutal， true story of how he survived gangs both out and in prison， the life he was destined to live。 How one relative can change the life of a young man and save him from himself。 How each of us has more say in our destinies than we believe。Danny's is a remarkable story of human survival， and t We've all seen him， now we can know his story。 Danny Trejo， a man who went from the streets of Los Angeles to prison， and then on to movies to become the most killed man in America。 Danny Trejo tells the brutal， true story of how he survived gangs both out and in prison， the life he was destined to live。 How one relative can change the life of a young man and save him from himself。 How each of us has more say in our destinies than we believe。Danny's is a remarkable story of human survival， and the ability to change our lives and become something more。 Told with honesty， brutality， and without shame， this is a story with heart。 。。。more
Brandon
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TREJO: My Life of Crime， Redemption and Hollywood is the memoir of actor Danny Trejo。Danny Trejo has been killed on screen over one hundred times and according to his IMDB， he has over three hundred acting credits to his name。 This guy just does not stop working。 But what about his time before films and movies？ I mean， the man didn’t become an actor until he hit forty！ Well， it turns out it’s pretty dark。Raised in a broken home， Danny took to the streets from an early age。 Surrounded by friends TREJO: My Life of Crime， Redemption and Hollywood is the memoir of actor Danny Trejo。Danny Trejo has been killed on screen over one hundred times and according to his IMDB， he has over three hundred acting credits to his name。 This guy just does not stop working。 But what about his time before films and movies？ I mean， the man didn’t become an actor until he hit forty！ Well， it turns out it’s pretty dark。Raised in a broken home， Danny took to the streets from an early age。 Surrounded by friends and family hopelessly addicted to drugs， the die had been cast for how Danny had been expected to turn out。 Shooting heroin at twelve years old and robbing shops shortly thereafter， Danny quickly found himself in and out of juvie。 This was a path that would lead directly to San Quentin。Danny’s formative years are the true star of this book。 It’s absolutely mind-blowing that he made it out alive given all he did as a criminal and all he experienced behind bars。 There were more than a few quotes I highlighted in the book from his time in prison that will stick with me for years to come:San Quentin is the most Right Now place on earth that isn’t a war zone。 If you want to survive， you have no choice but to be in one place， this very moment， and only this moment。 Will you live or will you die – today？ The first thing you have to do when you get locked up is make peace with the Right Now。 It will never be your friend， but you can’t let it be your enemy or you’ll go insane。When Danny finally got out and put his past behind him， he committed himself to a life of clean and sober living。 His work within the community to help those in need should be commended， along with anyone else who selflessly lives a life devoted to helping others。 It was through this work that he found himself on a movie set and being offered a role in Runaway Train， a role that would kick-start his career in Hollywood。From there we get lots of stories about the various films he’s worked on， his reluctance to take a role in a film that would have likely upset the Mexican mafia and story after story of being type cast as a tough dude who looks like he would kill you for flinching。 Some of these were interesting while others weren’t， but hearing it through Danny’s voice helped keep me engaged from cover to cover。I loved the story of how Machete films came to be and the character first being introduced through the Spy Kids movies （something I often forget）。 When the first stand-alone Machete film was made， it resurrected his career at a time when he was nearly broke and homeless in his sixties。Danny Trejo lives by his belief that every good thing that has happened to him has happened as a direct result of helping someone else。 It’s far from a bad way to live。 The man pulled himself out of what could have been a destiny of an early death and lived a rich， full life。 。。。more
Julie
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I have been somewhat fascinated with Danny Trejo ever since I read a little of his story。 He began life as one tough dude， in prison and on drugs， but then he found a way out， got noticed by a stunt coordinator， and began a long， prolific career as the instantly recognizable Mexican baddie and/or folk hero with a face like ten miles of bad road。 Movie professionals with whom he has worked， and there are tons of them， say he is a really sweet guy and a complete joy to work with。 Countless fans se I have been somewhat fascinated with Danny Trejo ever since I read a little of his story。 He began life as one tough dude， in prison and on drugs， but then he found a way out， got noticed by a stunt coordinator， and began a long， prolific career as the instantly recognizable Mexican baddie and/or folk hero with a face like ten miles of bad road。 Movie professionals with whom he has worked， and there are tons of them， say he is a really sweet guy and a complete joy to work with。 Countless fans see him as a groundbreaking Chicano actor who gets it right when he tells their stories。I was really excited to find that Netgalley would let me read this ARC。 It was a great read。 Trejo's early life is just every kind of bad thing one can imagine。 He was groomed for a life of crime and prison from an early age， and first shot up heroin when he was 12。 The stories he tells are way better than most movies you will see。 He really has been in the bad places he portrays in the movies; he's the real deal。 But one day he was in solitary， detoxing， and he just gave up his life to God。 He said， "God， help me。" and instantly he felt peace， and an echo of the word "help。" He took this to mean that he needed to give God control of his life， but also if he wanted help， he had to help other people。 He proceeded to spend the rest of his life doing just that。 For the next 50 years he worked as a recovery counselor and did everything he could to mentor， sponsor， and bring people back from the edge。 I found the spiritual tone of this book just right， in that Trejo does not preach or sound sanctimonious。 He just says he prays every day and that it is only by the grace of God that he is alive， working， sober， and surrounded by good friends and family。 Also I appreciated his honesty about the fact that the dysfunctional culture of what we now call "toxic masculinity" in which he was raised made it difficult for him to treat women with respect or to tell family that he loved them。 He says his daughter Danielle is the person who stood up to him and really made him aware of how this was hurting those who loved him。 He is candid about his own struggles with sobriety， and especially about the heartbreak of watching his own children go through the same thing。I think pretty much anyone will appreciate Trejo's honesty and authenticity。 These are some of the wildest stories I've ever heard， and if they made it， it would be a killer movie。 I just don't know who would play him because he is such an original。 Although the book is for mature readers in terms of language， drug use， gangs， and violence， I really think it would be a great book to pass along to a reluctant teenaged reader， especially if they are already fans of Machete， Sons of Anarchy， or Spy Kids or any of Trejo's 300+ other movies。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Amanda Zirn Hudson
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An epic memoir by an epic actor and humanitarian！ Now I want tacos。
amanda eve
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Pretty much what you’d expect: moving， funny， and full of incredible stories （he was hypnotized by Charles Manson！）。
Barry Hammond
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