The book deals with how sociological studies purely based on statistics are not sufficient to explain or resolve poverty. Gottfried sociology ia gang leader for a day the story starts out as sudhir vankatesh starts his firstyear as grad student at the university of chicago. Theres a reason why drug dealers usually live with their mothers 3. The silence was piercing, and after a short conversation, mixed with laughter, jt enlists sudhir to be the gang leader for a day. Gang leader for a day is an absolutely incredible book. Gang leader for a day npr coverage of gang leader for a day. In this rivetingthe new york times work of nonfiction, a sociologist infiltrates the world of chicagos crackdealing gangs first presented in freakonomics, the. He experienced the hard decisions a gang leader must make, quite like the job of a ceo, having meetings, and keeping the gang members in line.
Feb 05, 2009 in the robert taylor homes projects on chicago s south side, sudhir befriends j. Mar 02, 2015 one day, sudhir asks jt what was so hard about being a gang leader. Aged 16, walking around chicago in 1971, i chanced upon a city within a city on the. Most of the media portrays gangs as heartless and evil. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Buy gang leader for a day 01 by venkatesh, sudhir isbn. Sep 05, 2008 in his third book, gang leader for a day, mr. Here are the most important and astonishing points from sudhir venkateshs gang leader for a day, a sociological study of chicagos the black kings. Sudhir venkateshs memoir of his years observing life in chicagos inner city is a book unlike any other i have read, equal parts comedy and tragedy.
Did reading gang leader for a day make you more or less sympathetic to the problems of americas urban poor. Gang leader for a day book report gang leader for a day is a book written by sudhir vankatesh about the experiences of a college student who observes the life of a gang leader in the projects of chicago. Study guide gang leader for a day by sudhir venkatesh supersummary book summary. He says that gang leader for a day is a book about what he learned, and saw, during his years studying lowincome neighborhoods in chicago. A rogue sociologist takes to the streets, which was published the previous week by penguin press. His writings, stories, and documentaries have appeared in the american prospect and on pbs and national public radios this american. One day, after observing the job the gang leader did, jt, he was permitted to try being the gang leader for a day. Zone in transition what happened next criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others sudhir imitated j.
Gang leader for a day audiobook by sudhir venkatesh. Gang leader for a day is the fascinating full story of how sudhir venkatesh managed to gain entree into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment. Sudhir venkatesh author, narrator, reg rogers narrator, stephen j. Sudhir alladi venkatesh is an indian american sociologist, former professor of sociology at columbia university. This 52page guide for gang leader for a day by sudhir venkatesh includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as.
Sudhir says he is not there to do drugs, but to observe people as they buy them, do them, and sell them. But jt no longer has the power being a gang leader afforded him, as the money supporting the gang has largely dried up. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like race and space. Dubner, coauthor of freakonomics when firstyear graduate student sudhir venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of chicagos most notorious housing projects, he hoped to find a few people willing to take a multiplechoice survey on urban povertyand impress his professors with his boldness. 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.
Feb 05, 2009 buy gang leader for a day 01 by venkatesh, sudhir isbn. A rogue sociologist takes to the streets paperback december 30, 2008 by sudhir venkatesh author. Jan 12, 2008 he befriended the leader of the black kings, one of the countrys largest and most violent crackdealing gangs, and led the group for a day. This 52page guide for gang leader for a day by sudhir venkatesh includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. The bestselling author of gang leader for a day takes his next sociological study to manhattan, where he travels through the underground economy utilized by prostitutes, madams, drug dealers, immigrants, hedge fund traders, hipster artists and nannies. Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few americans understand. Gang leader for a day is powerfully insightful, as a witness learns about a gangs crackselling economy and its overall role in a community that. The book gang leader for a day was discussed in the book freakonomics although not in detail like sudhir wrote in his book. Gang leader for a day is rooted in the relationship between the author and a young middle manager of the gang, jt. Mar 19, 2018 key lessons from gang leader for a day 1. Sudhir venkatesh the young sociologist who became famous in freakonomics why do drug dealers still live with their moms. It is also the story of a complicated friendship between two young and ambitious men, a universe apart.
Sociologist sudhir venkatesh talked about his book, gang leader for a day. The book chronicles the life of the urban poor and. A rogue sociologist takes to the streets by sudhir venkatesh. The story of the young sociologist who studied a chicago crackdealing gang from the inside captured the worlds attention when it was first described in freakonomics. Perspective after reading this novel, i realized that gang members are human. Chicago tribune the achievement of gang leader for a day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. This 44page guide for gang leader for a day by sudhir venkatesh includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Venkateshs claim to become a gang leader for a day, hence the title of the book, is metaphorical at best.
Nevertheless, jt and sudhir remain close, if not exactly friends, and the book ends with sudhir thanking jt for the insight he has provided in an overall picture of workingclass life on the south side. The book chronicles the life of the urban poor and explores venkateshs views on poverty, money, gangs, drugs, and life in chicago. Buy a cheap copy of gang leader for a day book by sudhir venkatesh. Gang leader for a day book report essay example graduateway.
The underground economy of the urban poor, which documented illegal economies in chicago, received a best book award. A rogue sociologist takes to the streets sudhir venkatesh, 2008 penguin group usa 320 pp. He has written three more sociological studies, in addition to gang leader for a day. School library journal best book of the year winner. Barbara ehrenreich gang leader for a day is an absolutely incredible book. Sudhir alladi venkatesh the story of the young sociologist who studied a chicago crackdealing gang from the inside captured the worlds attention when it was first described in freakonomics.
Gang leader for a day summary from litcharts the creators. In 2017, it was reported that amc networks would be developing a drama series adaptation from the book. As you read gang leader for a day, were you troubled by the ethics of venkateshs research. Essay about gang leader for a day 1786 words bartleby. Gang leader for a day managed to seamlessly blend research theory which can be somewhere dry. Gang leader for a day sudhir venkatesh digital audiobook. The beginning of the book is striking, and is a chance for sudhir to explain just what circumstances he finds himself in.
Pdf gang leader for a day download read online free. The rise and fall of a modern ghetto, harvard university press, 2000. Sudhir venkatesh is a professor of sociology and african american studies at columbia university and the author of the bestseller gang leader for a day. A rogue sociologist lost and found in new yorks underground economy, penguin press. Sociologist sudhir venkatesh talked about his book gang leader for a day. A rogue sociologist lost and found in new yorks underground economy, was published in september 20 by the. The gang leader is a complex character an ultraviolent college educated gang member who left work because racism meant that he was never going to be promoted beyond store boy.
A rogue sociologist takes to the streets is a memoir written by sudhir venkatesh. Gang leader for a day book report happinessj9 term project book report gang leader for a day ey sudhirvankatesh jeannine march i 1192012 san joaquin delta college mrs. The main character befriends a gang leader, jt, when he goes to the projects in hope of finding some people to take a short essay about poverty. The gang thought he was a gang leader from the south side from a mexican gang. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Frustrated with the standard tools of his trade, a selfstyled rogue sociologist befriended a gang leader and began a curious insideroutsider. Venkatesh chronicles his experience getting to know the residents of a public housing project, interacting with gang members, and befriending the. Newsweek an eyeopening account into an underserved city within the city. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Frustrated with the standard tools of his trade, a selfstyled rogue sociologist befriended a gang leader and began a curious insideroutsider life. The story of the young sociologist who studied a chicago crackdealing gang from the inside captured the worlds attention when it was first. I thought i was coming in there to be the expert and i ended up being humbled. In addition, my background made it hard to understand their motives. 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. I would recommend this book to anyone studying research methods as it is a welcome change from other work published on the topic.
The story of the young sociologist who studied a chicago c. Gang leader for a day pdf summary 12min blog books. Jan 16, 2008 frustrated with the standard tools of his trade, a selfstyled rogue sociologist befriended a gang leader and began a curious insideroutsider life at a notorious chicago housing project. While a graduate student in chicago, sudhir venkatesh spent seven years observing. One day, sudhir asks jt what was so hard about being a gang leader. What you really need to know about gang leader for a day get to know one of mark zuckerbergs favorite book picks. Dubner, coauthor of freakonomics when firstyear graduate student sudhir venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of chicagos most notorious housing projects, he hoped to find a few people willing to take a multiplechoice survey on urban povertyand impress his professors. The underground economy of the urban poor, harvard university press, 2006. A rogue sociologist takes to the streets, penguin press, 2008. The book deals with how sociological studies purely based on statistics. Gang leader for a day summary my year of books medium.
In hollywoodspeak, gang leader for a day is the wire meets harvard university. Was he, as he himself sometimes worried, as exploitative and manipulative in his own way as j. Gang leader for a day by sudhir venkatesh reading guide. Venkateshs new book, gang leader for a day, captures. Sudhir structures his narrative as a series of observations on lowerclass urban, predominantly african. When venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of chicagos most notorious housing projects, he was looking for people to take a multiple. The boston globe a rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not.
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