Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz

Product Description: This engrossing memoir charts Mona Ruiz's journey toward self-identity, tracing the tortuous path of her life — a life in which Ruiz assumed contradictory roles: gang chola, high school drop-out, disowned daughter, battered wife, welfare mother, student, and policewoman. At each step in the journey, Ruiz faces violence, ridicule, and skepticism. Nevertheless, she prevails in exchanging her badge of social defiance for one of protecting her community.