Gang Leader for a Day
by Sudhir Venkatesh
Had it not been for my sociology professor requiring this read, I never would have heard of this book. Thankfully, I took summer school, and I was given the experience of reading Gang Leader for a Day.
Either he was incredibly foolish, confident, or masculine beyond belief, but one day Sudhir Venkatesh walked into a building in the Chicago projects, armed with nothing but a graduate class survey about poverty. Amazingly enough, he survived unscathed, and ended up forging a relationship with a gang leader, the inspiration behind his memoir. Whether or not you’re a sociology student, you can appreciate this book on so many levels.
It’s educational. Unless you actually live in the Chicago projects, you probably have no idea just how bad it is. It’s riveting. In fiction, the plot would be entertaining, but since it’s a memoir, the story is miraculous. It’s compassionate, to every character no matter his or her lowliness. It’s well-written. Venkatesh was clearly a bright student, turned into an equally bright writer with a talent to reach readers with more than just a slew of statistics.
I thought this was an incredible book, but if you think the subject matter might be upsetting, you might not like it. The characters’ lives are portrayed without a filter; there is drug use, foul language, violence, and prostitution. Also, in the dialogue, racially offensive words are very frequently used. Personally, I’m always bothered by certain words, but I managed to overlook them for the good of the book. Just a disclaimer. I’m not revoking my recommendation; this truly is a powerful read. It was the most memorable part of my summer term—that and the incredibly handsome guy I sat next to.
Either he was incredibly foolish, confident, or masculine beyond belief, but one day Sudhir Venkatesh walked into a building in the Chicago projects, armed with nothing but a graduate class survey about poverty. Amazingly enough, he survived unscathed, and ended up forging a relationship with a gang leader, the inspiration behind his memoir. Whether or not you’re a sociology student, you can appreciate this book on so many levels.
It’s educational. Unless you actually live in the Chicago projects, you probably have no idea just how bad it is. It’s riveting. In fiction, the plot would be entertaining, but since it’s a memoir, the story is miraculous. It’s compassionate, to every character no matter his or her lowliness. It’s well-written. Venkatesh was clearly a bright student, turned into an equally bright writer with a talent to reach readers with more than just a slew of statistics.
I thought this was an incredible book, but if you think the subject matter might be upsetting, you might not like it. The characters’ lives are portrayed without a filter; there is drug use, foul language, violence, and prostitution. Also, in the dialogue, racially offensive words are very frequently used. Personally, I’m always bothered by certain words, but I managed to overlook them for the good of the book. Just a disclaimer. I’m not revoking my recommendation; this truly is a powerful read. It was the most memorable part of my summer term—that and the incredibly handsome guy I sat next to.