Welcome back to our 4th book for Maeg’s VIew Book Review! The first time I saw David Labrava on Sons of Anarchy I loved his character and looked him up and just knew he would have an interesting life. When I found out he wrote a book I had a read it. Lets dig in!

“Becoming a Son is the first book written by David Labrava. David writes from life experience as he has lived more lives than most people ever will, and he did it all over the globe. David is an accomplished Glass artist, Tattoo artist, Five Diploma Harley Davidson Motorcycle Mechanic, Producer, Director and an award winning Writer and Actor. David is a member of the most famous and notorious motorcycle club in the world. David was the Technical Advisor on the hit TV series Sons of Anarchy from the inception to the completion of the series. David was also a series regular on the show, reaching that position after being hired as the technical advisor, then becoming a day player actor, then a recurring character then moving to series regular. All of these things had to be earned, as they were not for sale at any price. Becoming A Son is not about them. It’s about David getting to those spots. It’s about overcoming great odds and coming out alive. David left home at fifteen years old and hit the streets. This is David’s journey of discovery and redemption spanning a course of forty years. From the beaches of Hawaii and California, to the forest of the great Northwest, to years in Amsterdam, San Francisco, New York City, Miami then back to California. David hit some highs and survived severe lows, living years on the streets, in and out of jail only to take his life back, and then squeeze every bit out of it that life has to offer. Becoming A Son is a journey of epic proportion. It’s about realizing your dreams and then against the odds achieving them. Adventuring across the globe David learned many lessons by reaching out and trying everything, making many mistakes and paying the price for it and living through it. Now he wrote about it. David has been writing and getting published for over 14 years. He wrote for the Motorcycle magazine ‘The Horse’ then had his own column in the National Hot Rod Magazine ‘Ol Skool Rodz’ for eight years. He co-wrote Episode ten in season four of SOA which Time magazine awarded an honorable mention to as best of the season. David also won the 2013 Readers Choice Buzz focus award for Best Wildcard Actor. Like great authors before him Labrava takes the reader into some dark places most people would never dare to go. Becoming A Son is a modern day story of living on the street and redemption, it is one man’s journey into the darkness of himself crossing the planet and transcending all levels and then coming back again full circle. It is an inspiration for anyone who is chasing their dreams and making them their reality. Becoming A Son will come to be known as an instant classic.”

Questions:

What do you think of the writing?
Let’s start by saying this is a self-made book that he got a little help with. I personally think he rushed through the book as there was simple mistakes that could have been fixed if he just went through it one or two more times. I do think he did a good job at make his first book though, he had a very interesting life.

What surprised you most about the book?
The thing that surprised me the most was his life. The first time I saw David Labrava was on Sons of Anarchy which I loved his character and naturally you look up the cast. I had found out that some of them were actually apart of motorcycle clubs in real life so I looked up them and found Labrava’s book. When you see someone on tv you just think they had a good upbringing because that’s how we see them now, when I started to read I found out that his life was very different from you or I.

Are there lingering questions from the book you’re still thinking about?
My one question is why not continue? Or at least make a second book. At the time this was written he probably just got the job and was starting out but why not make another one to tell the rest of his story as Sons of Anarchy was a long running show.

What did you learn from hearing this person’s story?
You can learn a lot from this book. Even though he made some questionable choices with the drug usage he came through out in the end. He was strong willed, determined and smart, he could get out of situations and he always found a job to get him. Eventually after hitting rock bottom he turned he’s life around by landing one of those jobs.

All and all this was a good and interesting book to read and I highly suggest it. If you do end up reading it or already have read it answer the questions in the comments or ask your own questions!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.