Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
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- Create Date：2022-02-17 09:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Danny Trejo
- ISBN：1982150831
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Summary
In this “celebration of a life fully lived” （Reyna Grande， author of The Distance Between Us）， discover the full， fascinating， and inspirational true story of Danny Trejo’s journey from crime， prison， addiction， and loss—it’s “enough to make you believe in the possibility of a Hollywood ending” （The New York Times Book Review）。
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。
An honest， unflinching， and “inspirational study in the definition of character” （Kevin Smith， director and actor）， Trejo reveals 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 that proves “though we may fall down at some point in our lives， it’s what we do when we stand back up that really counts” （Robert Rodriguez， filmmaker and producer）。
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。
An honest， unflinching， and “inspirational study in the definition of character” （Kevin Smith， director and actor）， Trejo reveals 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 that proves “though we may fall down at some point in our lives， it’s what we do when we stand back up that really counts” （Robert Rodriguez， filmmaker and producer）。
Reviews
Carolyn Blocka
，
This was an absolutely excellent book！Danny Trejo is a great story teller and his life story is inspiring。
Jess
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Really amazing， and always astonishingly wonderful to hear someone talk about shitty ways they used to think and that they can own and learn from， and continue to be open to learning and growing - almost never hear this in autobiography/memoir。 Loved！
Triinu
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Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud。wordpress。com/。。。 Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud。wordpress。com/。。。 。。。more
Kayla Leitschuh
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I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed hearing this story from the man himself。
Chris S。
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Urban SurvivalTrejo， Danny， the only actor I've seen more of in real life than in movies。 I'm only partially joking。 This guy is constantly out in the community。 Met him by accident a couple times。 This book is a true reflection of who is。 He doesn't tip-toe around the truth， no matter dark the past was or his feelings at the time。Hard to find any author who can recount specific events which。jelp change their life and tell it from the way they were then。If you're here to find an autobiography， f Urban SurvivalTrejo， Danny， the only actor I've seen more of in real life than in movies。 I'm only partially joking。 This guy is constantly out in the community。 Met him by accident a couple times。 This book is a true reflection of who is。 He doesn't tip-toe around the truth， no matter dark the past was or his feelings at the time。Hard to find any author who can recount specific events which。jelp change their life and tell it from the way they were then。If you're here to find an autobiography， family life growing up in Los Angeles' surrounding communities， and crime life through the eyes of someone who lived the tough life， prayed & reformed， then this reading is for you。You might learn stories about celebrities he's worked before （Robert DeNiro + Michelle Rodriguez） that you never knew about。 Get the inside scoop and read this book today！ 。。。more
Marisol Robles
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Gives a deeper look into his past life and his rise to fame， as well as how he has been serving the community for many years
Lori
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Danny Trejo writes a very good memoir of his life。 He grew up in California。 He had a tough life。 by the time he was in his teens he was in and out of jail。 When he was 21 he got sentenced to ten years in prison for drug dealing。 He spent time on San Quentin and Folsom prison。 He ended up being released from jail after serving four years。 He spent years helping other with rehabilitation。 Being in Los Angeles he started earning money as an extra on movie sets。 he moved up to small roles and event Danny Trejo writes a very good memoir of his life。 He grew up in California。 He had a tough life。 by the time he was in his teens he was in and out of jail。 When he was 21 he got sentenced to ten years in prison for drug dealing。 He spent time on San Quentin and Folsom prison。 He ended up being released from jail after serving four years。 He spent years helping other with rehabilitation。 Being in Los Angeles he started earning money as an extra on movie sets。 he moved up to small roles and eventually became a very successful actor。 He was very honest about his life。 He had several marriages that ended in divorce。 tried to help his own kids when they dealt with addiction。 I found his memoir very well done and liked getting to learn more about Danny Trejo。 。。。more
Kevin Shear
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Very powerful autobiography where Mr。 Trejo holds nothing back。 If you think you'll never move up， never move beyond your difficulties and challenges， and you need something to empower you; this book is it。A must read for biography lovers。 Danny Trejo has always been an incredible person in my humblest of opinions， and this book gave him a shove into hero status for me。Mr。 Trejo， thank you for laying your life naked on the page。 You are a brave， strong， and incredible person。 I hope I can do hal Very powerful autobiography where Mr。 Trejo holds nothing back。 If you think you'll never move up， never move beyond your difficulties and challenges， and you need something to empower you; this book is it。A must read for biography lovers。 Danny Trejo has always been an incredible person in my humblest of opinions， and this book gave him a shove into hero status for me。Mr。 Trejo， thank you for laying your life naked on the page。 You are a brave， strong， and incredible person。 I hope I can do half as much as you have for our community。 。。。more
Ally Vieg
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This book is really incredible。 I’ve always like Danny Trejo as an actor （solely why I bought this book）， I didn’t know anything about his story or life。 It was a really eye opening book to his life and a life many other people can relate to or understand some part of。 His recollection of details really paints the picture of what he’s lived through。 The work he continues to do outside of acting just shows the kind of person he is。 A truly incredible autobiography。 I didn’t want to give too many This book is really incredible。 I’ve always like Danny Trejo as an actor （solely why I bought this book）， I didn’t know anything about his story or life。 It was a really eye opening book to his life and a life many other people can relate to or understand some part of。 His recollection of details really paints the picture of what he’s lived through。 The work he continues to do outside of acting just shows the kind of person he is。 A truly incredible autobiography。 I didn’t want to give too many details if someone hasn’t read it， but if you have even the slightest interest about Danny Trejo， read it。 。。。more
J
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There is no one on the planet like Danny Trejo。 As such you will not find a personal story with such history - anywhere else。 Great read。 Donal Logue captures his voice perfectly。 Read this book。
Allison
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3。25 stars。What a life he’s lived。 I haven’t really seen many of his movies， but remember catching him in an episode of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” awhile back。 I think his outlook on life， and giving back to his community is so admirable—and is the definition of not judging a book by its cover！
Karin van Homelen
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3。5
Tasha Colley
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Absolutely fantastic！ I laughed。 I cried。 I fell in love with Danny’s story and life。 He took his ugly past and made the most of it， all the while， owning up to his own mishaps。 What an inspiring story！
Tim Jin
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Danny Trejo doesn't have a career in being a narrator in audiobooks， but I respect his voice。 There is no one better other than the author reading their own biography。 Without Trejo's performance， his story of his life would have been an echo of many other lives that we heard before。 His broken voice makes his book that much enjoyable and his message of recovery is that much more powerful。 Danny Trejo doesn't have a career in being a narrator in audiobooks， but I respect his voice。 There is no one better other than the author reading their own biography。 Without Trejo's performance， his story of his life would have been an echo of many other lives that we heard before。 His broken voice makes his book that much enjoyable and his message of recovery is that much more powerful。 。。。more
M。 Lomeli
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Such a great read。 It’s a rarity when I want to immediately reread a book that I just finished， but this one made me want to。 His life story is so interesting and Danny holds nothing back。 His life of crime， his addictions and how he was able to turn it all around。 He sugar coats nothing， and it’s fascinating。
Staci
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Absolutely loved it all！
Connie
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Very well written。 Trejo’s voice and sincerity come through loud and clear。 From beginning to end， I felt like I was just hanging out with Danny， listening to him reminisce over dinner。
Eleanor-rose Barr
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This book is a must read。 It’s as simple as that。
Jane
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This book was amazing must read 。
Glory
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Danny Trejo has the secret to living a good life and it comes in service to others。 That doesn't mean he doesn't go through hard stuff in his and kids' life， but he makes time for people close to him and others not so close to him。 This book was inpiring to me， but it was also very entertaining。 Danny Trejo has the secret to living a good life and it comes in service to others。 That doesn't mean he doesn't go through hard stuff in his and kids' life， but he makes time for people close to him and others not so close to him。 This book was inpiring to me， but it was also very entertaining。 。。。more
David
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This turned out to be an unexpected （at least to me） Christian testimony book， though that's not the majority of the content。 Trejo shares an authentic， gritty account of how he turned his violent life path around， and how he found redemption through his faith and in helping others on their own journeys of recovery。 It's an inspiring story， presented with vulnerability and humility。 It's certainly not some inoffensive before/after testimony of someone finally learning how to conform to evangelic This turned out to be an unexpected （at least to me） Christian testimony book， though that's not the majority of the content。 Trejo shares an authentic， gritty account of how he turned his violent life path around， and how he found redemption through his faith and in helping others on their own journeys of recovery。 It's an inspiring story， presented with vulnerability and humility。 It's certainly not some inoffensive before/after testimony of someone finally learning how to conform to evangelical norms， far from it。 Bonus star rating for the audiobook being narrated by Trejo himself。 Easy to recommend。"as I've said many times， everything good that ever happened to me in my life has come as a direct result of helping someone else， and not expecting anything in return。" 。。。more
Mark Cubillos
，
I great read about one of the most unlikely Hollywood stars。 I often joke that Danny Trejo is our Mexican Chuck Norris but after reading his book， I feel only wishes he would Danny Trejo。This book is funny， honest， sad， and hard hitting。 Trejo has no problem giving a truthful account of his life， his previous crimes and struggles with addiction。 There are moments you will see his many flaws but also the willingness to accept those flaws and work through them。The book is touching and has a nice f I great read about one of the most unlikely Hollywood stars。 I often joke that Danny Trejo is our Mexican Chuck Norris but after reading his book， I feel only wishes he would Danny Trejo。This book is funny， honest， sad， and hard hitting。 Trejo has no problem giving a truthful account of his life， his previous crimes and struggles with addiction。 There are moments you will see his many flaws but also the willingness to accept those flaws and work through them。The book is touching and has a nice full circle of updating the reader and where everyone is in their lives now。 It is a true tale of redemption that continues to this day。 In one short story at the end， Donal Logue sums up who Danny Trejo is as a person and you realize what you have read was all true， he is that guy who has given his life to helping others and has received good fortune in return。 This is a great read。 。。。more
Kiely
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I lovvvved this book。 What an amazing story of recovery， perseverance， and coming full circle。
Jen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow。 This man has had an incredibly fascinating life， starting at a very young age- from armed robbery， to heroine addiction， to being imprisoned at some of the toughest institutions in the country， to finding God and living a life for others and helping with their recovery and then stumbling into acting。There’s obviously much more but wow。 Such an inspiring story and so glad I picked this one up。
Jonan Grobler
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I wouldn't have called myself a fan of Danny Trejo before reading this book。 I'm not even sure why I picked it up。 Of course， I recognize his face。 Don't even know from which movie， but I've definitely seen him somewhere as some bad guy。 His body language， face， voice， is all quintessential bad guy。And it's his voice that is the main draw （for me）。 Trejo reads his own story， in his deep， gravelly， slooooooooooow voice。 I had to put it on 1。5x speed， just for it to sound kinda normal。 His diction I wouldn't have called myself a fan of Danny Trejo before reading this book。 I'm not even sure why I picked it up。 Of course， I recognize his face。 Don't even know from which movie， but I've definitely seen him somewhere as some bad guy。 His body language， face， voice， is all quintessential bad guy。And it's his voice that is the main draw （for me）。 Trejo reads his own story， in his deep， gravelly， slooooooooooow voice。 I had to put it on 1。5x speed， just for it to sound kinda normal。 His diction， enunciation， timing， is very strange and halting。 It's kind of hypnotic。The first half of the story， Trejo's childhood and his time in prison， is fascinating and a great read。 How he makes a life for himself outside of prison， with various businesses and the whole drug rehabilitation thing he runs， is also very interesting to read。What isn't so interesting is Trejo's time in Hollywood。 It's a little dull。Trejo's balls-to-the-walls personality and character， the way he dives headfirst into every situation without even seeming to give it any thought， makes for a very entertaining life and story。Would I re-read: no。 。。。more
Remo
，
Excellent book。 Trejo's story is inspiring。 Not much of a film memoir， more about his violent past and prison time， his alcohol and drug recovery， and the amazing work he's done helping others with recovery。 A beautiful autobiography。Josh， thanks for recommending this book。 Excellent book。 Trejo's story is inspiring。 Not much of a film memoir， more about his violent past and prison time， his alcohol and drug recovery， and the amazing work he's done helping others with recovery。 A beautiful autobiography。Josh， thanks for recommending this book。 。。。more
Amber Ray
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This is a pretty complex biography。 My impression of this man is that he's managed to overcome a pretty scarring and hard life and a hell of a lot of mistakes。 I kind of get the impression he's still very much a work in progress--that in many ways he's still NOT the guy to cross， that he's not entirely lost that "I can and will beat the *&^% out of you if you cross me" edge。I do though get from this he's trying pretty hard to help others with addiction issues and that he might be a bit of a piec This is a pretty complex biography。 My impression of this man is that he's managed to overcome a pretty scarring and hard life and a hell of a lot of mistakes。 I kind of get the impression he's still very much a work in progress--that in many ways he's still NOT the guy to cross， that he's not entirely lost that "I can and will beat the *&^% out of you if you cross me" edge。I do though get from this he's trying pretty hard to help others with addiction issues and that he might be a bit of a piece of work in his daily life but he's more aware of most people that he hasn't always done stuff right。 He's deeply honest about the many times he screwed up personally， wronged others or failed。 I give him big points for honestly and openly admitting that and that he's working hard in a hell of a lot of ways to be a better person。I'm not sure I'd like him personally in a lot of ways， but I think I can respect him for the hard road he's travelled。I listened to this on audio--at times， he reads a little slowly and I think his reading literary/fluency isn't as high as it could be。。。but given his life， this might be likely。 The parts of the book that flowed best for me were when it sounded like he was telling things from memory more than reading from a script。 This aside， I still enjoyed him reading this a lot--autobiographies read by the author always are far more powerful。 When Mr。 Trejo laughs about old stories or lets grief show in his voice， it makes the narrative far more immediate--you feel here like you're sitting down with this old bandito， that he's telling JUST you these personal tales。 He's also not wrong about keeping a positive mindset--things aren't great for me at the moment， but I tried that "zippedy do dah" myself and it reminded me shit may be doing down in my life， but I don't have to let myself drown in it。 Thanks for that reminder at least dude。 I need to remember to try and find ways in my life to keep my mindset positive。Also， his cookbook is dangerous。 You will effing crave tacos like a damn junkie。 I made myself a bit sick because I made the mistake of reading his book， then ordering food while hungry。 Keep working Mr。 Trejo， keep at it！ 。。。more
Evelyn
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Open， honest， full feels throughout his story。 The good ， bad， ugly & very ugly truths- he said them straight & owned them。 Just as I hoped he would; I loved that！
Julie
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⭐5 Amazing Stars⭐ Thank you Danny Trejo and Donal Logue for giving me my first 5 star read of 2022！！！ If I could give this book a million stars， I would。 This is the most incredible memoir I have ever read。 Danny Trejo is so AUTHENTIC， raw， honest and humble。 He gives you the good， bad， and ugly and does not shy away from talking about his life's mistakes。 I have never dog earred a book this much。 His authencity makes you fear him and then fall in love with him。 If he knocked on my door and need ⭐5 Amazing Stars⭐ Thank you Danny Trejo and Donal Logue for giving me my first 5 star read of 2022！！！ If I could give this book a million stars， I would。 This is the most incredible memoir I have ever read。 Danny Trejo is so AUTHENTIC， raw， honest and humble。 He gives you the good， bad， and ugly and does not shy away from talking about his life's mistakes。 I have never dog earred a book this much。 His authencity makes you fear him and then fall in love with him。 If he knocked on my door and needed a place to stay， he would have one。 His level of geniuneness and honesty makes me feel like I want him as my new BFF。Throughout the book you will have to keep reminding yourself that this book is non-fiction， because he went through so much chaos and so many crazy incidents， its hard to believe it is real and that those things could all happen to one individual。 I would give examples， but I don't want to spoil it for anyone。 You just need to read this book and find out for yourself！！！I knew this book would tug on my heartstrings because I come from a family of generations of addicts。 I lost my brother to a heroin/fentanyl overdose in 2018。 He was my best friend， someone who would do anything for anyone， incredibly charismatic， handsome， smart， and loved。 But， he had a terrible disease， one he came by honestly due to genetics。 Some people will never understand addiction fully because they will never live through it， never be personally impacted and they should be so thankful。 The roller coaster you are on with addicts is like nothing else you will ever experience。 It physically， emotionally and mentally drains you。 It terrifies you because you live in fear， praying that you don't receive "the phone call"。 At 2:17AM， the morning my father called my husband's phone， I had already not been sleeping well。 I had that bad feeling。 I knew when I saw my dad's name pop up on my husband's phone。 To hear my mother wailing in the background was the worst sound I have ever heard in my life。 I will never be able to get that sound out of my head。 I applaud Danny for sharing his story， being so open and giving people hope。 His level of redemption is astonishing。 He has served his community selflessly for 50+years in helping people recover from drug addiction。 He chose August 23rd， 1968 as his sobriety date。 "I prayed， "God， if You allow me to die with dignity， I will say Your name every day and do everything I can to help my fellow man。"' The number 23 is such an important number in my own family， from multiple family members born on that day including my brother， to anniversaries， and other events。 I smiled so hard when I saw that number。 Danny， God Bless you and what an amazing inspiration you are to so many people。 You have been through so much， and still have stayed sober and continued fighting to help others stay off of drugs。 God definitely did have a plan for you。 "I asked God for help and he told me to stay clean and help other people。 That's the recipe。 It's that simple。 Drinking and drugs might temporarily bring some relief， but there is no problem in life that drugs and alcohol don't make worse-whether the issue is financial， emotional， or legal。" 。。。more
Bill O’Neill
，