Gang Leader for a Day

"Gang Leader for a Day"

In this suspenseful thriller, a college student Sudhir Vankatesh starts interviewing and gets deep in the gang the "Black Kings". As Sudhir spent more times in the projects he started building up a relationship with the gang leader named J.T. J.T was fierce and mysterious character in this story. There are many up and downs in their friendship.

The type of writing in this book is very detailed writing. It gives good detail about where he is. Sudhir describes a rundown apartment with poor lighting with many people in it. His descriptions of the situation he is in with great detail also like when he experiences J.T beating up Sino. The detail he writes this book in was excellent.

The topic that was mainly covered was about J.T and of his rising in the ranks. Also with the prostitutes how they were beat and being pimped. Areas he could have covered more were how much risk in which the drug dealers faced and how they didn't get much chance in rising in the ranks like others could. Another area he covered well was how the foot soldiers had to show potential and leadership to rise in the ranks.

Extra information that was helpful was how security did not do much to help the people living in the projects. Some of the people would ask about the lighting in the projects were poor they would just say "that's not our job". Other extra information that helped was he described how the gang members protected and gave a place for "squatters" to live. "Squatters" were people we were either homeless or they were people we owed money to people and needed a place to stay safe from the people they owed money to.

I think the author did achieve his purpose in the book which was to describe how it was inside a gang. The writing he wrote was very powerful and made you think very hard. Strengths in the book was that he got into how he went from knowing nothing about gangs and what they went through to rising to high ranks in the gang. Some weaknesses was that I think he should of focused on is how other people felt about what was going on within the projects and gangs. I do not agree with some of the author's conclusions in the book like when he watched Sino get jumped by J.T I think he should have stepped up and stopped what was happening to Sino. This book was very interesting because it brought you not only in the projects and not only in a gang but it brought you through mostly all the ranks in the gangs and the people living in the projects. I would most definitely recommend to other people because this is a very descriptive book about gangs and the projects.