Sudhir Venkatesh chronicles a decade of fieldwork after entering a Chicago housing project and developing an unlikely, sustained access to a gang and its neighborhood. The book records everyday transactions, organizational rules, and the personal relationships that shape life in an underserved urban community.

Balancing rigorous observation with narrative clarity, the account examines the informal economy, kinship and hierarchy within the gang, and the compromises residents make to survive. It foregrounds ethical ambiguity and the human costs behind statistical measures of poverty.

Highlights

• Long-form urban ethnography and participant observation
• Insight into informal economies and neighborhood governance
• Foreword by Stephen J. Dubner; published by Penguin Press, 2008; 302 pages; ISBN 9780143114932

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