Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

By: Sudhir Venkatesh  

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Gang Leader For A Day - This book follows a young graduate student from the University of Chicago as he naively wanders into a housing project on Chicago's South Side, and a chance meeting with an up-and-coming gang leader, J.T., gives him almost unlimited access to one of the largest crack cocaine dealing gangs in Chicago.

It is fascinating to watch Sudhir become entangled and embedded with the tenants and gangs, despite warnings and recommendations for his professors to not get emotionally attached. How could he not? I found myself unable to put this book down. My heart broke with the plans to demolish the Robert Taylor Homes. Even though they weren't very safe and certainly weren't acceptable living conditions, the tenants and gangs established a give-and-take, sometimes ruled by fear, but a way to survive.

The writing style is clear, and gives the reader a chronological summary of what it was like to practically live in the Robert Taylor projects for the better part of a decade. Time moves quickly, and Sudhir gains access to more and more people throughout the course of the book. I was both amazed and saddened at the way of life, the way to make it day to day in the housing projects. This book sheds light on the extortion and corruption of everyone who lives there, each one justifying what they do to make it another day. An excellent and quick read.

Customer Review: 2 out of 5
Ethics, who needs 'em?! - Gang Leader for a Day is certainly an entertaining, captivating and quick read. It's a page-turner, I'll give it that. But, it left my stomach churning.

This book is a written account of Venkatesh's doctoral work at the University of Chicago's Department of Sociology (a legendary program). Yet, anyone familiar with social science research will be left befuddled upon reading this book. Venkatesh skirts the explicit ethical requirements of social research throughout his project, to an amazing and sickening degree. He exploits the already-marginalized population of poor Blacks for his personal gain - lying to them throughout his project, deceiving them of his purpose, and knowingly placing certain persons in harms way. For me, this book was an exercise in ego and exploitation, and a prime example of what NOT to do in research.

If it were simply a personal account of someone who hung out with gang members for the heck of it, it would still be an example of exploitation and entitlement - but it would end there. Unfortunately, it is the account of a successful sociologist who knowingly violated professional ethics and exploited an impoverished community for the betterment of his career. (for a more technical/academic explanation, see: Puff the Magic Sociologist from the Tenured Radical)

Read? Sure. But do so with a critical eye and some basic knowledge on the ethical obligations of social researchers.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Light on a hidden world - A very interesting piece of urban sociology / anthropology (although ignore the "Rogue Sociologist" nonsense in the title) , which brings to life a hidden, closed community in the Chicago projects, largely ignored by the outside world and run on a basis of fear, petty corruption and intimidation by the local gang, local police, and local power brokers. The comparison with "Gomorrah" for any who have read that, is striking.
Reading this there are a couple of points that struck me; firstly in a distorted way in the absence of any other form of authority its not surprising that the gangs fill the vacuum and act as some form of community organisation even if the principle source of income is in selling crack to its own community. Secondly how poor communities will always prey on each other. Thirdly how all of this could be solved or at least made better, by a sensible drug policy (rather than head in sand prohibition) that took away the gang's profit motive - for, as stated in the book, revenues from prostitution, extortion and other illegal activities are relatively small beer and not enough to attract many to "thug life". And fourthly, how the richest country in the world can effectively abandon some of its most vulnerable citizens to their fate
But this is highly recommended as a light on what for me anyway was a dark and hidden world

Customer Review: 2 out of 5
Just read Freakonomics - While I wasn't much of a fan of Freakonomics as a whole, the chapter giving an economic analysis of drug gangs was an interesting take on a well-worn subject. When I heard that the chapter had been expanded into an entire book, I made a point to get my hands on a copy, the next time I was in the US.

However, the book fell short, and was much less interesting than the shorter take in Freakonomics. Rather than any sort of academic or economic analysis, it felt like more like a collection of anecdotes, perhaps it could have been titled "my crazy life living amongst the project dwellers."

I think the author's outsider perspective is a basic flaw to describing life in an early 90s project - such a book would have been better written by a long-term resident. Additionally, the author isn't a very engaging author, and none of the personalities described felt alive, or like anything more than one-dimensional stereotypes.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Archaeologist's thoughts - This book was "riveting" as The New York Times put it. Sudhir's "rogueness" comes from his missteps as a graduate student learning as he was simultaneously in the field. He learned that he should have followed the Internal Review Board I.R.B. procedures in protecting the identities of those he studied only after he began studying them. This is common however, and you just have to hide the identities of those you study by switching names in anything you write. His adventures began right outside his own door near the U of C near Hyde Park in the South-side of Chicago. The same place that we later learned our current President Barack Obama also focused much of his attention on the plight of ordinary Americans caught up in perpetual gang violence and drug infested areas. For many American citizens, it is impossible to think that this can take place in America today, but Sudhir brings to light the fact that this scoial phenomena does in fact take place in urban environments, and now even rural environments with crystal meth - on a daily basis.
I couldn't help but draw similarities between the Robert Taylor housing tenants and Afghanis. Many people do not want to live under constant stress of gang violence, but must not only participate in its perpetuation, but they must also play active key roles in it in order to survive. To Pierre Bourdieu, this practical mastery of your environment and every day habitus would explain why this sort of lifestyle is perpetuated, manifesting in cost/benefit ratio analysis of each and every person you talk to not knowing if he/she is a "snitch."
The Taliban hold similar sway over Afghanis today. Once American troops leave, then what? The Taliban will simply bribe local police and officials, work their way into politics, and ultimately corrupt the Afghani government to perpetuate daily practices of the Taliban. Once a gangster = always a gangster.
I just hope "J.T." was able to put his street smarts to work and go to college. America actually needs people like him in power in order to make our, what seems to be, failing economic system become fruitful again.

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