Gang Leader for a Day
by Sudhir Venkatesh · first published 2008
61% recommend36% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
A sociologist spends years inside a Chicago housing project with a drug gang, showing how it operates, its economics and low pay, and its social roles. Suits readers curious about urban poverty.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. This is the full story of how Venkatesh managed to gain entrée into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment. When first-year grad student Venkatesh walked into one of Chicago's most notorious housing projects, he was looking for people to take a survey on urban poverty. He never imagined that he would befriend a gang leader and spend the better part of a decade inside the projects
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There was a great book called Gang Leader for a Day, about a UChicago sociologist that spends time inside a Southside drug crew. His research showed that the average low-level street dealer made less than minimum wage. Almost all the profit accrued to…
on “Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)” ↗Awesome. Also recommended is Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, whose work with the crack gangs of Chicago's Robert Taylor homes was featured in Freakonomics. Sudhir revealed the inner workings and social motivations behind gang behavior. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594201501/?tag=httpwwwhiph02-20
on “Former gang member turns entrepreneur... by giving tours of LA gangs” ↗You could benefit from reading this sociologist's account: "Gang Leader for a Day": << Sudhir Venkatesh 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 JT’s protection.…
on “Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked” ↗Recently I've been reading books about different facets of human nature. Some of my favorites: - Spent, by Geoffrey Miller (evolutionary psychology, sex, consumerism) - Gang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh - Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely Here's a short blog post about these books and a few others. http://ogeid.com/weblog/2010/01/some-books-about-human-natur...
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗Although its not really in the same vein as hacker news, I really enjoyed Gang Leader for a Day: http://www.amazon.com/Gang-Leader-Day-Sociologist-Streets/dp...
on “Ask HN: How would you spend $25 on barnesandnoble.com?” ↗I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan. I especially love the fallacies he discusses w.r.t. human brain! I also recommend Sudhir Venkatesh's "Gang Leader For a Day".
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗If you're interested in the topic, read Sudhir Venkatesh's books, like his most recent _Gang_Leader_for_a_Day_. It's about his experience of spending 8 years with impoverished residents of a Chicago project community, including gang members, drug users, and prostitutes, as part of his graduate studies in sociology.…
on “You need to use social services to understand them” ↗Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein Flatland, by Edwin Abbott Gang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
on “Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?” ↗…in this list, but here goes: Instant Karma: The Heart & Soul of a Ski Bum Wild Snow: 54 Classic Ski and Snowboard Descents of North America Roof of the Rockies: A History of Colorado Mountaineering Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗This reminded me of Sudhir Venkatesh's book "Gang Leader For A Day", parts of which were described in Freakonomics. Some of his findings included an organized corporate structure of a big gang, a gang member with an econ degree who wanted to put his education to use,…
on “Entrepreneurs in Prison” ↗Gang Leader For A Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes To The Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudhir_Venkatesh) is a great read as well.
on “What If U.S. Cities Just Stopped Participating in the War on Drugs?” ↗That's one of many things they do. (Gang Leader for a Day gives great insight into the many role gangs play in their communities [1]) It's also a possible consequence of Nixon's War on Drugs [2] [1] http://www.amazon.com/Gang-Leader-Day-Sociologist-Streets/dp...…
on “U.S. Legalization of Marijuana Has Hit Mexican Cartels’ Cross-Border Trade” ↗You might enjoy the book "Gang Leader for a Day" by Sudhir Venkatesh. He spends time with a street gang and explains its operations.
on “Moving Bricks: Money-laundering practices in the online scam industry” ↗Read a few modern accounts of urban poverty, like "The Corner" and "Gang Leader for a day". Then compare it to accounts from the early 1900's such as "The Slums of Baltimore, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia", "Land of the Dollar", and "How the other half lives." It will blow you away.…
on “Why Vote? Freakonomics' take on voting” ↗There's also a couple of studies, books etc. that have looked into the earning potential of gang members (it is extremely low). "Gang Leader for a Day" is a nice read in that regard.
on “What Organized Crime Pays” ↗