Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh - 1376 Words

Sociology student Sudhir Venkatesh sets out on a journey within the Chicago housing projects with a quest of finding out how it feels to be black and poor. Sudhir was an Indian native from a middle class Californian family and he was unfamiliar with the black culture within Chicago. In his book Gang Leader for a Day, he tells of his sociology research within one of the roughest housing projects in Chicago. Sudhir starts his research by talking to a few elderly gentlemen he played chess with at the park. His conversation with them led him to the Robert Taylor Housing Projects which was described as one of the worst Ghettos in America. His research began the first day he arrived with his clipboard of questionnaires ready to ask the†¦show more content†¦He spends a lot of time getting to know J.T. and his gang members. The young men were more willing to open up to him and trust him with certain information. Over a period of time the nature of his research changes slightly for m just looking at young black men but looking at the community as a whole, the women, children, gangs, drug dealers and even the police officers and the how they influence the behavior of the community. The more time he spend in the community the more people he was able to meet and question. Even though Sudhir’s ethnicity and gender seemed a disadvantage at first, eventually people warmed up to him. I don’t believe that his socioeconomic status and his education helped him with his research. However, he was able to bring certain things to the projects, such as beginning a writing class for the young ladies and even tutor the members of the gang so that they wouldn’t drop out of high school. Sudhir felt like this was the least he could do for the community after he had gotten so far in his research. He was often affectionately called â€Å"Professor† by his participants. Because of his background he is very naà ¯ve about life within the projects. He is gullible and that is a disadvantage among street people. Ms. Bailey the building president one day says to him, â€Å"You’re sweet, you’re young, you’re good looking, and these women will take advantage of you. Be careful when you help them.† She warned him after he had bought grocery for a prostitute and herShow MoreRelatedGang Leader for a Day: Book Review1413 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Gang Leader for a Day Book Review It takes a lot of guts and no small amount of courage and cunning to infiltrate a street gang in the tough neighborhoods of Chicago, but that is what Sudhir Venkatesh did as a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Chicago. In order to find out first-hand how a gang that earns its money selling crack cocaine functions from the inside, Venkatesh dared to get involved on a superficial basis with the gang. 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I don’t think that I live an oddRead MoreThe Smell Of Urine Plague913 Words   |  4 Pagesa rival nor part of any gang but a student surveying poor African Americans from the University of Chicago. Their leader, J.T. after spending the night with them, releases you, just to get an invitation to learn about the poor community they live in and experience their everyday lives. To be honest, I have never experienced something like Sudhir Venkatesh, author of Gang Leader for a day has. He was a sociology grad student when he wrote this book, interacting with gangs and their struggles. You