Sonia Rodriguez says that, as a child, the family she looked to for love and support was far more likely to dole out anger, violence and sexual abuse. When she was a teenager in Chicago she found her way to another family – the Latin Kings. Now an ex-member and a 42-year-old mother of two, Rodriguez tells her story in the new book: Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen. Author Reymundo Sanchez—also a former Latin King—co-wrote the raw account of Rodriguez’s life and times in the gang.

A note – the names Sonia Rodriguez and Reymundo Sanchez are pseudonyms. Sonia and Reymundo say they’re a form of protection – against potential reprisals from other gang members for telling all.