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

Sudhir Venkatesh

Discussion: Books Set in North America

Why we're reading this: U.S., Chicago, projects
[close] U.S., Chicago, projects

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Books Set in North America

* Authors from Canada or Mexico
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 6 posts · 339 views

last updated Jul 11, 2022 01:15PM

Canada
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 41 posts · 1178 views

last updated Jan 11, 2025 09:36PM

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What Members Thought

Mar 22, 2009 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: male-author, non-fiction, sociology

I really enjoyed this book at the start, but by the end I found it to be quite repetitive. I heard the author on This American Life, and got the book, not realizing that he was also featured in Freakonomics until I started reading.

The author wrote this book about his experiences with the Black Kings gang of Chicago as he was conducting research for his dissertation. The life he described in the Robert Taylor projects of Chicago was pretty horrifying. I mean I knew it wasn't good, but there was ...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Amanda rated it liked it

Shelves: 2008-reads, non-fiction, total-read

I enjoyed the content of this book but I was really put off by the author's voice. Between his photo on the jacket cover and the way he describes himself, I really think he has a high opinion of his own intelligence and maybe humanity.

I first heard of this book when I read Freakanomics... where, ironically enough, I heard much the same voice. I do love the first hand account of life in the projects, though, and you have to give the man credit for venturing in them, even against the advice of his ...more

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