Author: Sudhir Venkatesh
I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Sudhir Venkatesh. Just the thought that a nerdy Indian kid can associate with dangerous drug dealers in the Chicago Housing Projects and live to tell the tale is something that I would never have thought possible. The fact that Sudhir has been able to do this for a decade is simply stunning. In this book he draws amazing insights into how a drug gang is run and the parallels with a modern corporation.
Sudhir exposes all of this in a style that shows that he is a born storyteller. He pays attention to minute details that draw you into the scene and make you feel like you were there watching the whole thing unfold. He also comes across as very balanced in his reporting of the various activities in the Projects.
JT is the leader of the “Black Kings” drug gang that operates in the Chicago Housing Projects. After a chance encounter, he practically adopts Sudhir and over the course of the next several years introduces him to many of the characters you will find in this book. Sudhir spends a good deal of time eating JT's Mom’s fine cooking and JT takes him on many of his operations. You get a sense of a “day in the life of a gang leader” and you come to appreciate that it is a lot of hard work.
Sudhir is clearly fascinated with JT and the book almost glorifies his leadership style. I can’t help think about the prospect of a Gang Leader academy using this book as a textbook on leadership. Regardless of whether you plan to operate a gang some-day, this book is worthy of the few hours that it will take for you to read it.
I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Sudhir Venkatesh. Just the thought that a nerdy Indian kid can associate with dangerous drug dealers in the Chicago Housing Projects and live to tell the tale is something that I would never have thought possible. The fact that Sudhir has been able to do this for a decade is simply stunning. In this book he draws amazing insights into how a drug gang is run and the parallels with a modern corporation.
Sudhir exposes all of this in a style that shows that he is a born storyteller. He pays attention to minute details that draw you into the scene and make you feel like you were there watching the whole thing unfold. He also comes across as very balanced in his reporting of the various activities in the Projects.
JT is the leader of the “Black Kings” drug gang that operates in the Chicago Housing Projects. After a chance encounter, he practically adopts Sudhir and over the course of the next several years introduces him to many of the characters you will find in this book. Sudhir spends a good deal of time eating JT's Mom’s fine cooking and JT takes him on many of his operations. You get a sense of a “day in the life of a gang leader” and you come to appreciate that it is a lot of hard work.
Sudhir is clearly fascinated with JT and the book almost glorifies his leadership style. I can’t help think about the prospect of a Gang Leader academy using this book as a textbook on leadership. Regardless of whether you plan to operate a gang some-day, this book is worthy of the few hours that it will take for you to read it.
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