Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Gang Leader for a Day, sociology professor Sudhir Venkatesh recounts his time working with the gangs and inhabitants of the Robert Taylor housing projects in Chicago, Illinois. The book is a look at Chicago's poorest sections during the crack epidemic. It's also a look at how underground economies work in urban settings. It's also a look at how sociology misses the humanity behind the statistics. Throughout the book Sudhir meets various gang members and slowly earns their trust to find out what really happens in gang life. By the end of the book Sudhir is introduced to a large cross-section of life in the projects and he learns that everyone involved with the projects follows the same rules of engagement that every hustler and gang leader follow. It's a worthwhile look at how a corrupt system can keep itself going hidden from even the most prying eyes.

Buy the book from Amazon.
View all my reviews.