He especially liked the idea of being 'special' being as near as dammit actually in the gang, being accepted. Gang Leader for a Day . Sudhir says he is not there to do drugs, but to observe people as they buy them, do them, and sell them. But urban “renewal” in Chicago forces the demolition of Robert Taylor, and the crack business there falters, leaving JT with less influence within the BKs. Teachers and parents! I also became really frustrated about just how naive he was...I suppose he couldn't have gotten himself into his position had he not been, but man, you can see him screwing with the tenants' lives from a mile away. “As he met now with each sales director, J.T. (Customers buying crack from other dealers.) How does one go about reviewing a book whose major premise is that, unless you live it, you can’t understand it? Venkatesh begins his story as a university student who (stupidly) wanders into the Robert Taylor Homes of Chicago for a sociology project and ends it as a Sociology professor and a trusted confidant of a major Chicago gang leader. I was really blown away by his naivety and lack of common sense. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Jan. 18, 2008 12:01 am ET Chapter Four. How relevant could it have been when it was first published, in 2008. He enjoyed, it seemed, all aspects of gang life except the crime and violence. I think since 2008 it has been said thousands times that this a must read for anyone who is conducting research in social science, but let me add my voice to those folks and say read and enjoy this eye-opening and mind-altering book. Even after spending years in the projects, he still doesn't know how things work. You seen any niggers come around? It was shown when dealing with the situation with ‘’the gatekeeper’’ J.T. How relevant could it be now? Innovate Your Life In the book, Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociology student from the University of Chicago starts out simply trying to understand “how it feels to be poor and black,” and ends up spending years and years figuring out the ins and outs of a gang society (Venkatesh 14). It made me feel more compassion towards those impacted by violence that happens in the city and more aware of the complexities of helping impoverished communities. I was really blown away by his naivety and lack of common sense. People curious about life in the projects and/or gang life, This author is a moron. witnessing, b.) Venkatesh’s “Gang Leader for a Day”, however, is a useful study for students to add to their academic arsenal for two main reasons: 1. It is THAT good and currently sitting as my favorite book of the year. Dude, if you know you're bending the rules for your own benefit, maybe stop? J.T. Sudhir uses this data to bolster his observational research on the doings and workings of the BKs within the Robert Taylor Homes. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrance into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets, Sudhir Venkatesh had a problem when researching and writing this book. Info. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. (The police or tenant leaders.) I can safely say I would have read it in 1 sitting if I hadn't taken breaks to watch the Euro. He enjoyed, it seemed, all aspects of gang life except the crime and violence. 2. Gang Leader for a Day is an autobiographical account of a sociologist's six years of living with and studying of the residents of a housing project called Robert Taylor in Chicago. The fact that he is constantly agonizing about morality and ethics made it even worse. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! I can't believe Sudhir believes that this account is even remotely scholarly (as it should be, coming from an "expert" in the field--he has a responsibility to portray his research accurately as a representative of his discipline, even if this is meant for a popular audience). (Homeless people or street vendors.) A son of an academic, he arrives at the University of Chicago to do his Ph.D. in Sociology, and then ventures outside of its bubble into the Chicago ghetto, and to the Taylor housing projects. Share. See all 4 questions about Gang Leader for a Day…, Petra X needs new friends after pruning the FrList, Gang Leader for a Day / Sudhir Venkatesh. Gang Leader for a Day . It is also the story of a complicated friendship between two young and ambitious men, a universe apart. I began to falter about halfway through when I felt like it was more anecdotal than anything, and I found myself craving more synthesis on his part. he befriended (J.T. Refresh and try again. Sudhir Venkatesh, a graduate student in sociology at the University of Chicago, begins Gang Leader for a Day by describing a crack den in a project on the South Side of that city. By the end of the book, Sudhir collects information on the gray-market and black-market economies of the gang – most notably, the drug-dealing ledgers dating back years, which T-Bone provides Sudhir with secretly. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. Over the next seven years, Venkatesh observed JT and the rest of the gang as they operated their crack selling business, conducted PR within their community, and rose up or fell within the ranks of the gang's complex organizational structure. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Eventually, Sudhir “takes over” JT’s position as gang leader for one day, and sees how JT manages the “foot soldiers” who sell drugs, the community organizers (like Pastor Wilkins, Officer Reggie, and Autry) who mediate between gangs, and the other people like Johnny, who run stores in the area, and whose small businesses often pay financial tribute to the BKs. In an effort to interview those living in urban destitution, he grabbed a multiple-choice survey, and headed over to the Robert Taylor Homes - one of Chicago's most notorious housing projects. I mean, he just has NO common sense. Anybody watching you? The Anomie Theory of Durkheim’s was used in the book Gang Leader for a Day. I had mixed feelings about Venkatesh's book. After nearly three years of hanging out with J.T., Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh is William B. Ransford Professor of Sociology, and the Committee on Global Thought, at Columbia University in the City of New York. I listened to it and my ears hurt from time to time. Sudhir's persistence pays off when, upon his return to the project, the gang's leader invites the impressionable young sociologist to write his biography, and he spends the next seven years immersing himself in this underclass. Did anybody vet him? This relationship – in which Sudhir observes JT’s life as manager of a drug-dealing business, with attendant “hustles” in prostitution and other petty criminal enterprises – becomes the core of the book. As a sociologist-in-training, Sudhir Venkatesh stumbles upon a unique opportunity to gain a lense into the inner workings of the American ghetto when he wanders into one of the worst housing projects in Chicago clutching pens and a survey that asks, "How does it feel to b. from here on out.*. Simply put - a must read if you live in America. . The fact that he is constantly agonizing about morality and ethics made it even worse. Sudhir says he is not there to do drugs, but to observe people as they buy them, do them, and sell them. Dude, if you know you're bending the rules for your own benefit, maybe stop? JT, who Sudhir realizes is the leader of a unit of the gang of which the young men are members, tells Sudhir that he is not African American, as the survey indicates. Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh befriended the leader of one of the country's largest and most violent gangs and ultimately led the gang for a day. "They protect the community from opposing gangs." (About the quality of the crack.) As a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Venkatesh gained groundbreaking access to the Robert Taylor Homes. Welcome back. . The only times I did not enjoy this book were when I couldn't deal with the difficult realities it laid out. LitCharts Teacher Editions. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Robert Taylor was a notorious public housing project in Chicago that symbolized both the failure of public housing and the rise of violent drug gangs in the 1980s and 90s. As a sociologist-in-training, Sudhir Venkatesh stumbles upon a unique opportunity to gain a lense into the inner workings of the American ghetto when he wanders into one of the worst housing projects in Chicago clutching pens and a survey that asks, "How does it feel to be black and poor?" You heard of people leaving you for others? Patrick’s “Glasgow Gang Observed). (In answer to the survey's question, they explain that they're not black or African American, that they are niggers.) Take a look at the winners, presenters, and top moments from this year's Golden Globes. By the late 1990s, when Sudhir visits, he realizes that he has a successful academic career – that he, too, has “hustled” in the projects to get the information he needed from his subjects. He's surprised when he finds out the gang has dealings in prostitution. After Lee Anne recommended this to me, I then uncovered his "what do real thugs think about the Wire" on the Freakonomics blog. There are way too many letters in Venkatesh for me to type it over and over. I also became really frustrated about just how naive he was...I suppose he couldn't have gotten himself into his position had he not been, but man, you can see him screwing with the tenants' lives fro. In 2011, he wrote about our ubiquitous computer culture... To see what your friends thought of this book, It's as relevant today as it ever was. But her assistant Catrina urges Sudhir to see Ms. Bailey on the whole as a giving, well-intentioned member of the Robert Taylor community. He doesn't even know, until years later, that there might be legal repercussions to the crimes he is a.) The stories are personal and specific while painting a picture of a much larger world. The way the content is organized, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Venkatesh entered the Chicago gang world at the height of the crack epidemic and what he found was a tightly organized community, held together by friendship and compassion as well as force. He's scandalized when he finds out *gasp* not all cops are good! Gang Leader for a Day is an inside view into the morally ambiguous, highly intricate, often corrupt struggle to survive in an urban war zone. Similarly, he begins shadowing Ms. Bailey after his advisers urge him to get a different, and more women-centric, understanding of the projects. was renamed in the book for anonymity). Topics: Question, Gang, Thought Pages: 2 (606 words) Published: October 18, 2010. Venkatesh's access enabled him to develop a comprehensive and unique understandi. Always interested in different cultures and the way people live. 'Gang Leader For a Day' By Sudhir Venkatesh. This book was recommended by a friend who had just finished it as well as Freakonomics. 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