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Gang Leader for a Day
Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets | Sudhir Venkatesh
A New York Times Bestseller Foreword by Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics When first-year 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 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 JTs 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 gangs 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. "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 Sudhir Venkateshs latest book Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New Yorks Underground Economy--a memoir of sociological investigation revealing the true face of Americas most diverse city--was published in September 2013 by The Penguin Press
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CuriousG
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Day 12 of #12booksof2020 - last one! @Andrew65

This was one of the most interesting nonfiction audiobooks I listened to this year. At times I had a hard time believing that this could actually happen in real life, but overall I think it has the ring of truth. Either way, I still think it was worth every second. Has me interested in reading more of his work.

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Maria514626
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Pickpick

Fascinating. Nonfiction that reads like a novel. Would love to know where the main characters are now.

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plaidchuck
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Alright folks! Neverwhere was the clear winner with 22 votes for the #makemereadit challenge with the rest of the results as follows:

The Shining: 7
Notes from Underground: 3
Treasure Island: 2
Gang Leader for a Day: 1
Bill the Galactic Hero: 0

Let's do another round of voting between these books to see if we can shake up these results and see if King is still, well king!

shellleigh33 I still have to go with 6y
Andrew65 It‘s got no votes so I have to give a vote to 6y
plaidchuck @Andrew65 that's the spirit! Really looking forward to reading it, sounds humorous. 6y
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Andrew65 @plaidchuck It does sound fun! 6y
Sweettartlaura The Shining! 6y
RamsFan1963 No one voted for Bill? I just read that recently, it was very good, the perfect anti-military science fiction story. 6y
plaidchuck @RamsFan1963 looks like Bill is getting some love! As a veteran I am looking forward to reading it! 6y
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bizzarebhide
Pickpick

Gripping. Gritty. Mind-blowing.

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Yellowpigeon
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This scene happened during a teacher's strike. The author was asked to head a class of gang members. This was the gang leader's method of class control.

readinginthedark This sounds like a wild read! 7y
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LindsayReads
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Pickpick

This was...good. An exposé on gang life and urban poverty particular to Chicago's housing projects of the '90s. It reads pretty smoothly, consisting of mostly anecdotes of Venkatesh's experiences. The academician in me wanted a bit more synthesis and got really upset about his naivete and research "methods"...but the former is probably better addressed in his dissertation, and the latter might not have gotten him the information/insight he sought.

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LindsayReads
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I have been dutifully reading this at night throughout the holiday, but opted for an impromptu readathon during the days to put a dent in my massive stack of library books. Happy to put my focus back on it again. #currentlyreading #photoadaynov16

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LindsayReads

Not that it's *such* a stretch to prefer reading to most other obligations, but for real I would prefer to stay at home reading about gangs, violence, and drugs than be around some very unpleasant family members today. I am so enjoying everyone's posts who are able to savor their time with family, and I am sending love to those who find themselves in a situation similar to mine. I am #thankfulfor the family we choose.

Notafraidofwords Hang in there 8y
LindsayReads @Notafraidofwords Thank you 💜💜 8y
SuperPunkNinja I'm here for you! ❤❤❤ 8y
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DeborahSmall Thankfully I only have to endure Christmas with shitty family. Not this year though. I'm putting my foot down, just myself, husband and kids this year. My husbands family great...mine, not so much. Sending hugs ❤️ 8y
8little_paws I'm sorry to hear that, I hope it goes ok and you get home fast afterwards 8y
Eyelit 💜💜💜 8y
LindsayReads @McShelfington @DeborahSmall @8little_paws @Eyelit Thank you all! 💜💜 It was mostly civil and blessedly brief. Managed to get home in time for a walk at dusk through my neighborhood park. 💜🌳🍁🌇 8y
30 likes7 comments
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LindsayReads
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I don't allow myself to do any #readinginbed in the morning because I would never get up. 🤓 Keeping it interesting with this exposé that reminds me of The Wire but better. #photoadaynov16

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LindsayReads
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Just started this as an audiobook today. An hour in, and I am hooked. Has anyone else read it? #nonfictionnovember

Godmotherx5 No, but I have the hard copy. Hope you enjoy it. 8y
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SeaBass13
Pickpick

I just finished. I am a very young reader but I read and understand books way above my level but I really enjoyed this book. Especially the statistics!