288 pp. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets is a memoir written by Sudhir Venkatesh. The book chronicles the life of the urban poor and explores Venkatesh's views on poverty, money, gangs, drugs, and life in Chicago.
What was Venkatesh's study about?
In 1989 Sudhir Venkatesh, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, entered the Lake Park housing project armed only with a questionnaire and a desire to learn more about the lives of the people who lived in “The Projects” (the general name given to Public Housing provision across the USA).
Is Gang Leader for a Day based on a true story?
It's not "true", but it's much, much more real. This is an amazing story of how a grad student stumbled across a drug-dealing gang in Chicago and ended up spending several years with them as part of a research project.
Was Gang Leader for a Day ethical?
Gang Leader for a Day: The Ethical Concerns and Questionable Motives Behind a Rogue Sociologist. Venkatesh's study is nonetheless gripping and nothing short of interesting, however it raises some ethical concerns regarding the relationships with the gang members as well as that of his professor.
Who is JT Gang Leader for a Day?
Sudhir Venkatesh
How long did Sudhir Venkatesh spend in that environment?
Read an excerpt about the day Venkatesh became a gang leader. For seven years, sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh led a double life. For days, Venkatesh stayed inside one of Chicago's worst housing projects living with poor families and hanging out with gang members.12 Jan 2008