An AWESOME Read....

You know a book is good when you find yourself thinking about it when not reading. You know a book is Great when you sneak every idle minute of the day to grab a few more words - even if it is only a page or less. You know a book is AWESOME when you are so ingrained in the story line that the illusion of fantasy presides over the reality of your true existence. So this is an awesome one. A fine and precious literary jewel, titled "Gang Leader for a Day". Sudhir Venkatesh, a graduate student at University of Chicago, has kidnapped my mind. What began as an innocent stroll through the stale airport bookstore, has resulted in a willing resign of myself to a story.
AWESOME Non Fiction has the capacity to do that to me! I relate to Venkatesh on so many levels, as I nearly walked his same path - in so many ways similar, but also so contrast. Sudhir is a graduate student at UofC, majoring in Sociology - a path I once thoughtfully considered, on the advise of my Sociology Dean at NIU, upon completion of my Bachelors Degree in Sociology and Human/Family Services. I ended the formal education there, at least for now. But, Venkatesh has so beautifully served up a true delicacy of words - a narrative of his life as it was lived out on the South Side of Chicago, amidst the gangs, cops and community. Within close proximity to the setting of my younger days, as a child of a South Side Police Officer, I am able to gain a birds eye view of the many characters in my life. It amounts to an adult, sociological perspective on the life I lived along side these cast of characters. Eye opening, edge of my seat entertainment, hitting so close to home that it leaves me wondering what world I am REALLY living in!
Read it - and then we need to talk :) ~Jodi