The 1st half about New York Gangs in the 1950's was good but the 2nd half turning to god blah blah blah no wonder Billy Graham gave it a speal. ( )

O autor relata como abandonou as drogas, o ódio e a violência, para ajudar jovens como ele a encontrarem um novo sentido para a vida.

Read this in my teens. Very riveting! ( )

I hate to do this to another classic, but I have to be honest. This was an extremely popular book in Christian circles when I was in my teens (the 1990's.) I read it several times back then and as a relatively new believer probably would have rated it highly. I wondered if my perspective had changed so got hold of a free copy and re-read it now, well some of it.

There is no doubt that the story itself is an incredible working of God's power in the life of gangster Nicky Cruz through His servant David Wilkerson. I remember also reading The Cross and the Switchblade which tells the story from Wilkerson's point of view. There is also a film which I watched once....

However, this time of reading, I was appalled by the gratuitous violence and the graphic descriptions of it. I stopped reading at the point where the gang deal with a failed recruit by stabbing him in both armpits. I appreciate that the turn-around in Cruz' life was more miraculous due to the level of depravity he had reached and that that is one of the reasons why the details have been included. But, reading it now as a (hopefully) more spiritually mature adult, it is truly sickening. I can't believe I read it as a teen and wasn't unduly bothered by the violence.

I reviewed Street God last year with a one star rating due to the author appearing to glorify sin in his testimony. (http://christianmissionaryuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/writing-with-purpose-or-glorifying-sin.html) Honestly, there is little difference between the two books in terms of the graphic nature. Street God probably contains a lot more detail of drug abuse but Run Baby Run has sexual details that shocked me and that I didn't recall from my first reading all those years ago.

Either I have become a legalist as I have grown older in which case feel free to disregard my review or sanctification is actually changing me albeit slowly and I can no longer tolerate things that would have been acceptable to me in the past. The Bible suggests it is probably the latter...

I can't recommend this book, it is full of graphic violence and some sexual content as well as shortened versions of bad language.

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Life Story of Nicky Cruz