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GUEST: Sudhir Venkatesh, sociology professor, author of “Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets”

Cities across the US like Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; San Bernadino, California, and Baltimore, Maryland, are grappling with the problems of gang violence. The problem is no longer new. But neither are most solutions being proposed by law enforcement to tackle the issue. A stark marker of urban blight and unemployment, gangs are still plaguing the mostly poor communities of America. A young sociology professor at Colombia University has recently written a book that examines gang life from the inside. Sudhir Venkatesh’s best-selling memoirs of being a student researcher in Chicago’s projects, provides a nuanced insight into the intricacies of gangs. His book is called Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets.

In Gang Leader for a Day, Venkatesh challenges stereotypes of gang members and the communities in which they function. Unlike most academic theses, his story is personal, complex, emotional, and ultimately educational.