In Search Of Respect Summary

Words: 1902
Pages: 8

Philippe Bourgois wrote in his book “in search of respect”, talking of his experience living in El Barrio, east Harlem. He talks on how his neighborhood that’s known for its high violence rate does not widespread violence occurring among its member, and how higher crime rate occurs
The real purpose for him writing this book was to document a first hand account on poverty and ethnic segregation in one of the worlds largest cities, but instead he concerntrated on drug trade.he was able to gain the trust of El Barrio residents. He tries to explain the struggles of street life from a first hand point of view,using recorded conversation and one on one experiences. Instead of getting involved, he interviewed and observed informants. His interactions
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He and Ray were close, ray had once told Bougois about his past. He showed a picture of himself standing next to Phil Donahue about a television debate on violent crimes in East Harlem because he taught it would impress everyone, he insults ray when he tried to make him read the article not realizing that Ray was an illiterate. Rays most closest men thought Bourgoise was an imposter, pretending to be a stuck up professor while some thought he was a narcotic agent on an undercover assignment because for them, having a white person for once, relying on them for information instead of the other way around ********
Two character ceaser and primo are best friends, ceaser works as the lookout in the game room. Primo was taught how to steal car radios and burgalarize downtown businesses. Bourgois tries to keep a low profile when Ray tells primo about his dream that Bougois was part of the FBI, since dreams have a powerful significance in the Puerto Rican culture, everyone took it seriously. Bourgois starts hanging out with the people at the gameroom crackhouse, and then he becomes an exotic object of prestige that everyone in the crackhouse wanted to be seen with him even his presences intimidated