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    Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
    Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
    Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
    Audiobook13 hours

    Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood

    Written by Danny Trejo and Donal Logue

    Narrated by Danny Trejo and Donal Logue

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    About this audiobook

    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).

    Editor's Note

    Inspirational…

    Though he’s been in over 250 movies and TV shows, Danny Trejo’s life story might be his most incredible role. The actor’s inspirational autobiography describes his abusive childhood, prison stints, and drug addiction, and how he turned it all around and became a Hollywood star.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJul 6, 2021
    ISBN9781797122847
    Author

    Danny Trejo

    Danny Trejo is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable, prolific, and beloved character actors. Famed for his ultra-baddie roles in series like AMC’s Breaking Bad, FX’s Sons of Anarchy, and director Robert Rodriguez’s global, billion-dollar Spy Kids and Machete film franchises, Danny is also a successful restauranteur. He owns seven locations of Trejo’s Tacos, Trejo’s Cantina, and Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts in the Los Angeles area, and is expanding his Trejo’s Tacos franchise nationwide. Visit DannyTrejo.com to learn more.

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    Reviews for Trejo

    5/5

    244 ratings49 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Phenomenal. A must read. One of the best autobiographies I've ever read. Mr. Trejo's story is full of emotion and life lessons. He is a true man of faith.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I loved this story of recovering from your mistakes and bad choices and being grateful and humble for the gifts and opportunities you’ve been given and the positive choices you make. I also loved Trejo’s unabashed and unapologetic faith and unwavering desire/need to help others. The audiobook was clunky and awkwardly but authentically read by the author. Speeding it up made it flow more smoothly. Despite the stumbling audio, I wouldn’t have wanted to listen to anyone reading this besides Danny Trejo. I plowed through it in just a few days. I couldn’t put it down. Danny, thank you for sharing your incredible journey with the world. You are an inspiration. I will watch your movies through a new lens now - one of respect and gratitude.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great book, but listen to it at 1.5 or 1.2 speed. You don’t have to be a fan to get a lot out of it. He’s lead a remarkable life.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a great recovery book as well as a very lively and raw story of a
      hero' s road sobriety. How it was,what happened and how it is now for Danny Trejo.

      I have been sober 33 years...quite a high bottom drunk and druggie compared to Danny,but the misery of addiction and the pain it causes ourselves and others is universally understood by addicts. Our stories vary,but the helplessness and hopelessness of addiction is the same .
      I knew very little of Mr. Trejo except that I was always happy to see him on the screen. I felt drawn to him,and now I know why.
      I highly recommend this to anyone in or considering recovery,as well as those just looking for a good read.
      Would it be wrong of me to start calling everyone Holmes out of love for Danny?
      Alma Quillian

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Well told, inspirational, infused with emotion. Just an amazing book made all the more enjoyable by him reading it! I loved listening.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Danny Trejo's life is a real-life hero's journey. It's a raw, harrowing tale overflowing with divine grace and I feel my soul healed and uplifted just listening to this audiobook.
    • 5/5
      God Help Us. That's what Danny Trejo does. Helps us. Helps us see that we are not alone and that we can change and that it is never too late to make yourself a better person.
    • 5/5
      Truly a remarkable story! Inspiring, nothing short of amazing. As a Latina, I am proud to have Mr. Danny Trejo as our real life superhero. Muchas gracias por todo, holmes.
    • 5/5
      It's an amazing story. Thoroughly entertaining .Recommended listen. Very heartwarming and inspiring journey by Mr Trejo
    • 5/5
      This is a must read. Best book I've heard on scribd so far. A candid story of redemption
    • 5/5
      A great sharing of a good man who overcame his own struggles and then went into battle to help so many others overcome theirs. Well done Danny Trejo, well done. God be with you!
    • 5/5
      Danny Trejo explains his life with raw emotion. He makes you feel like you’re there next to him walking through his life. The challenges he faced and overcame since he was a child is truly inspirational and shows that we can sometimes overcome our own challenges even when we feel hopeless.
    • 5/5
      Deeply powerful and uplifting. Trejo talks openly & honestly about the toughest times of his life. Listening to him weather them, learn, grow, and triumph is more inspiring than most self-help books. I love that Danny is the narrator. This book really needed his raw and real narration. This wasn’t a book I could binge. I paused often, took notes, took breaks, and always came back to it to hear more. It’s not an easy journey; but it’s absolutely, rewardingly worth it.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed every minute of this book!! Thank you Simon and Shuster for having Danny read this audiobook too! Nobody would of done it justice like he did! He is an amazing individual with a truly inspiring story! The stories he tells and the nuggets he adds makes this an excellent portrayal of LIFE! I wish God would put him in my path sometime between now and the time one of us goes! God Bless you Danny Trejo and all you stand for and have learned and thought others! Peace Homes! Joe ✌️
    • 5/5
      A beautiful book. He says it the way it is. Acknowledges he’s faults, brutally honest and the story of a real human being struggling to not only exist for himself but for others
    • 5/5
      So real. So courageously, vulnerably honest.. what a terrible, wonderful man. Good book.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fascinating story. I imagine this will become a riveting film!
    • 5/5
      The best autobiography I read this year. Couldn’t put it down. It was so frank and honest that it just burn right through me. I felt he was talking to me as a friend.
    • 5/5
      It was just an amazing unbelievable life story! Many sad moments, but the great parts are really good to listen and learn from
    • 5/5
      To tell you the truth, as I listened to this novel, I figured it was going to be another rags-to -riches-criminal-to-movie star epic with the same old same old.

      I could not have been more wrong.

      We all know the craggy faced downward grimaced face from all the movies, and we think that we can determine the man we THINK he is.

      After listening to this soul-searching gut wrenching tell all about his life of crime and redemption, I can tell you he did not hold back, he made no excuses for his bad behavior, he realized and agonized over his failures as man, husband and father. Danny Trejo bared his soul to the public, with all its dirt and corruption.

      Here is a man who survived many prisons having to deal with the most decant individuals of society. He had to not only fight for his own life, but others as well. He experienced and survived several near-death illnesses from cancer to a brain bleeding stroke.

      Here is a heavy duty-scare-the crap-out-of-anybody-who-looks-at -him-wrong man who decided to give his life to serving and helping people overcome addictions that he knew all too well. He became a counselor and advocate for the disenfranchised.

      This novel gives you an insight to not only Danny Trejo the actor, but the flawed man as well. I was always a fan of his (scared fan) and I am so happy that he has lived his acting dreams and finally found happiness with his children, and through his faith was given a chance to of service to anyone who needed him.

      I also enjoyed listening to Donal Logue (another actor I adore) who gave ending dissertation on their friendship and how his life was changed because of Danny.

      Although it was a little hard listening to Danny narrate his story in his halting and sometimes childish voice, I truly enjoyed and recommend this novel.

    • 5/5
      Danny Trejo’s life is the epitome of a redemption story. I feel so blessed to know and work with this earth angel. God bless you Danny Trejo.
    • 5/5
      Well worth the time investment, very genuine ! Highly recommend!!!
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing. You will be a better person for reading it or listening to it.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. A powerhouse. Fascinating. I learned so much about Trejo and I’m inspired to be a better man and father from listening to his stories and truths about life.
    • 5/5
      Truly inspiring! I am an even bigger Trejo fan now!
    • 4/5
      It is not just about being famous after substance abuse, prison,and failed relationships. It’s about not giving up on yourself or others. It’s about knowing what is true happiness and helping along the way and remembering to say thank you to your maker.
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio book. It took me 3 months to finish it. I dunno if it was just me losing interest or the way the book was read. He has A MAJOR life story to tell and it’s pretty amazing and respectable, but after the 7th hour you kinda start to drift away. I’m glad I finished it but that’s about it.
    • 5/5
      Fascinating read. At the beginning of this book I had no concept that I would love this badass man by the end of the book!
    • 5/5
      Really good listen - Danny isn't the best reader out there but listening to him read his story was amazing. He will come to parts that you can tell he is remembering in that moment and his genuine laugh while reading instantly makes you laugh too. What an incredible journey and inspiration to many.
    • 5/5
      Loved listening to his story on his own words. He didn’t have it easy but he made it