Gang Leader for a Day

De: Sudhir Venkatesh

Narrado por: Reg Rogers, Stephen J. Dubner

The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrée into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment.

When Venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of Chicago's most notorious housing projects, he was looking for people to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty. A first-year grad student, he would befriend a gang leader named JT and spend the better part of the next decade inside the projects under JT's protection, documenting what he saw there.

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.

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. It is also the story of a complicated friendship between two young and ambitious men, a universe apart.

©2008 Sudhir Venkatesh; (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

The brief background music startled/angered me!

Please get rid of the silly pieces of music at the beginning of each chapter! It's the reason I rated he performance with 3 stars instead of 5!!

An informative and thought provoking listen...

A superb excursion into the evolution of the gang scene in Chicago in recent decades! Having read There Are No Children Here by a Chicago Tribune journalist (sorry, name escapes me...) while in grad school, this was an awesome follow-up on how the residents in the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago have coped with the challenges of everyday life and the consequences of well-intentioned policy makers who just don't get it. Highly recommend reading the other book first, then listening to Sudhir's excellent ethnographic research to understand how intricate socio-economic networks have evolved and sustained themselves over time. Very eye-opening and a great read!!

A gritty, thought-provoking, eye opener. wow.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. However understand that this book chronicles 4 years that the author spent living among the gangs of the Chicago housing projects. It's not intended to be a fluffy story. If you really want to understand how a gang organizes itself, draw parallels to to modern business, get more information about the Freakonomics chapter about gangs and economics, or try to better understand those living in the projects, this is an awesome listen.

What did you like best about this story?

It really changed my attitude about why people live the way they do, why they don't accept help, and why they would turn a blind eye to what I consider appauling behavior. At times I had to walk away for a while to process the information, which is a good thing. It tells me I'm really giving consideration to the book. It took me far outside my comfort zone. At times I loathed the subjects and at other times I wanted to invite them out for coffee. Good job Sudhir. I found JT rather likeable.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator added a grit to the story that made me feel like I was living in the projects. Had I read it myself, it would have been a fluffier story with flowers, puppies, and ice cream in it. The story would have suffered had I read it myself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I stumbled upon this audio book and remembered the authors name from a chapter in Freakonomics. Since Freakonomics makes my top three books list, I gleefully purchased this book. However I had to listen on commutes, so it took me a couple of days to finish. Good thing too. It gave me time to contemplate the actions of the subjects and change my attitude toward them. (Thank you Sudhir)

Any additional comments?

So grateful I got to listen to this book. When reading Freakonomics, I always wanted more information. This book deeply satisfied that desire. Delighted Sudhir lived to tell the tale.

A Must read.

A view inside a gang. Personal and hard hitting. The winners and losers of inner city life

10/10 would recommend

This book was so well written and so well read I found myself looking forward to my commute just because I was able to continue listening. Provides an unparalleled look into the lives of youth, as well as adults doing their best to survive in a world overlooked by public officials, federal programs, and middle class citizens alike. Provided a unique perspective. Can’t wait to read the one about NYC!