(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)
When Cyco Lokos gang member Magdaleno (Mags) Argueta comes home to Los Angeles after serving prison time for a robbery, he wants nothing more than to start a new life. However, there’s one obstacle he has to overcome first…his old life. Mags tries to let go of his bitterness–he was framed by Rico, the new leader of the Cyco Lokos–and stay out of gang life for the sake of his Salvadoran immigrant family and his girlfriend Paloma, but trying to integrate into society after a stint in prison doesn’t come easily.
Christina Hoag’s Skin of Tattoos, artfully pulls back the curtain to reveal a world most of us don’t inhabit, nor would ever even considering entering: the violent and chaotic world of Los Angeles street gangs. As with this type of subject matter, the book contains some violent scenes, but they are neither glorified, nor inserted as gratuitous filler that fails to move the plot along; violence is simply a fact of life in the ghetto.
Her depiction of Mags, is deftly painted and he becomes immediately a sympathetic character whom we find ourselves rooting for all through the book. What I really like about her portrayal of the main character is that Hoag does this in a meaningful way without attempting to beat the reader over the head by throwing a cover to cover long pity-party for him.
The scenes of life on the means streets of East Los Angeles are also well drawn, and Hoag uses all of the senses to put us right into the settings. The plot twists and turns through a labyrinth of unexpected betrayals, difficult alliances, and the politics of gang life. This is a great book for anyone willing to get out of their comfort zone and to vicariously step into another person’s shoes and bleak existence.
