Awards

• Winner of School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Overview

"A New York Times Bestseller ""A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from vivid tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined."" —The Economist ""A sensitive, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype."" —Finanical Times Foreword by Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics When first-year graduate student Sudhir Venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of Chicago’s most notorious housing projects, he hoped to find a few people willing to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty--and impress his professors with his boldness. He never imagined that as a result of this assignment he would befriend a gang leader named JT and spend the better part of a decade embedded inside the projects under JT’s protection. From a privileged position of unprecedented access, Venkatesh observed JT and the rest of his gang as they operated their crack-selling business, made peace with their neighbors, evaded the law, and rose up or fell within the ranks of the gang’s complex hierarchical structure. Examining the morally ambiguous, highly intricate, and often corrupt struggle to survive in an urban war zone, Gang Leader for a Day also tells the story of the complicated friendship that develops between Venkatesh and JT--two young and ambitious men a universe apart. Sudhir Venkatesh’s latest book Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York’s Underground Economy—a memoir of sociological investigation revealing the true face of America’s most diverse city—is also published by Penguin Press.   "

Full Product Details

9780143114932

Table of Contents

Reviews

The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. <br>- The Boston Globe <br> Compelling . . . Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. <br>- Newsweek <br> Whether you enjoy fiction, history, or biography you'll be drawn to Venkatesh's gripping retelling of his experiences . . . Gang Leader for a Day poignantly reminds us that there continue to be separate and unequal Americas that ultimately impact us all. <br> -Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

Gang Leader for a Day is not another voyeuristic look into the supposedly tawdry, disorganized life of the black poor. 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. I couldn't stop reading, and ended up loving this brave, reckless young scholar, as well as the gang leader J.T., who has to be one of the greatest characters ever to emerge from something that could be called sociological research. -- Barbara Ehrenreich Gang Leader for a Day is an absolutely incredible book. Sudhir Venkatesh's memoir of his years observing life in Chicago's inner city is a book unlike any other I have read, equal parts comedy and tragedy. How is it that a naa[ve suburban kid ends up running a crack gang (if only for a day) on his way to becoming one of the world's leading scholars? You have to read it to find out, but heed this warning: don't pick up the book unless you have a few hours to spare because I promise you will not be able to put it down once you start. --Steven D. Levitt, co-author, Freakonomics This extraordinary book features the fascinating research of a brilliant young sociologist. Sudhir Venkatesh spent several years closely interacting with crack-selling gang members and struggling poor residents in a large and very dangerous public housing project in Chicago. His riveting portrait of day-to-day life in this poor community, including the challenges confronting parents in a drug-infested and violent social environment, is disturbing. But, Gang Leader for a Day is rich with original information and insights on poor families, drugdealers and even the police. It will leave an indelible impression on readers. ---William Julius Wilson, Harvard University Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser Professor Whether you enjoy fiction, history, or biography you'll be drawn to Venkatesh's gripping retelling of his experiences in the Robert Taylor Homes. Gang Leader for a Day poignantly reminds us that there continue to be separate and unequal Americas that ultimately impact us all. --Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) Riveting. --The New York Times Compelling... dramatic... Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. --Newsweek An eye-opening account into an underserved city within the city. --Chicago Tribune The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. --The Boston Globe A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from viivd tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined. --The Economist A sensitive, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype. --Finanical Times Riveting. --The New York Times Compelling... dramatic... Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. --Newsweek An eye-opening account into an underserved city within the city. --ChicagoTribune The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. --TheBoston Globe A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from viivd tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined. --The Economist A sensitive, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype. --Finanical Times Riveting. -- The New York Times Compelling... dramatic... Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. -- Newsweek An eye-opening account into an underserved city within the city. -- ChicagoTribune The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. -- TheBoston Globe A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from viivd tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined. -- The Economist A sensitive, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype. -- Finanical Times Riveting. -- The New York Times Compelling... dramatic... Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. -- Newsweek An eye-opening account into an underserved city within the city. -- Chicago Tribune The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. -- The Boston Globe A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from viivd tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined. -- The Economist A sensitive, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype. -- Finanical Times Riveting. -- The New York Times Compelling... dramatic... Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. -- Newsweek An eye-opening account into an underserved city within the city. -- Chicago Tribune The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. -- The Boston Globe A rich portrait of the urban poor, drawn not from statistics but from viivd tales of their lives and his, and how they intertwined. -- The Economist A sensative, sympathetic, unpatronizing portrayal of lives that are ususally ignored or lumped into ill-defined stereotype. -- Finanical Times The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. - The Boston Globe Compelling . . . Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. - Newsweek Whether you enjoy fiction, history, or biography you'll be drawn to Venkatesh's gripping retelling of his experiences . . . Gang Leader for a Day poignantly reminds us that there continue to be separate and unequal Americas that ultimately impact us all. -Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) aThe achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart.aa The Boston Globe aCompelling . . . Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand.aa Newsweek aWhether you enjoy fiction, history, or biography youall be drawn to Venkateshas gripping retelling of his experiences . . . Gang Leader for a Day poignantly reminds us that there continue to be separate and unequal Americas that ultimately impact us all.a aJesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

The achievement of Gang Leader for a Day is to give the dry statistics a raw, beating heart. <br>- The Boston Globe <br><br> Compelling . . . Venkatesh gives readers a window into a way of life that few Americans understand. <br>- Newsweek <br><br> Whether you enjoy fiction, history, or biography you'll be drawn to Venkatesh's gripping retelling of his experiences . . . Gang Leader for a Day poignantly reminds us that there continue to be separate and unequal Americas that ultimately impact us all. <br> -Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

Author Information

SUDHIR VENKATESH is William B. Ransford Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. He has written extensively about American poverty and is currently working on a project comparing the urban poor in France and the United States. His writings, stories, and documentaries have appeared in The American Prospect, This American Life, The Source, PBS, and National Public Radio. Venkatesh's latest book, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy, was published in September 2013 by The Penguin Press.

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