An issue that I see in "Always Running" is poverty, which is seen constantly in the book when the author makes a reference to the Hills or South San Gabriel. I remember there was this quote I heard that makes a lot of sense now that I think of it, "You create enough starving people and you would be surprised at how far they would go to survive." That we also see in the book when Luis resorts to stealing. A book that always keeps coming back to be is "A long way gone", I keep making references to it but it's really the only clear connection to "Always Running". Both are a true story and they involve the character going through poverty, violence, and death to the point where they get involved in causing it but they eventually make it out and tell their story.