Unforgiving Places

"Ludwig thinks more deeply about the causes of American gun violence than anyone, and his policy solutions have been proven to work. Unforgiving Places is the best book on American violence I’ve ever read.”  -- Steven Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics
"This book accomplishes an extremely rare feat: providing a new perspective on an old problem. And it does so for one of the biggest problems plaguing society: gun violence. It is a must-read for every person struggling to make sense of the violence around them."
  -- Sendhil Mullainathan, MIT

 “If you thought you understood the origins of gun violence, think again—this book might just be the key to saving millions of lives.”

-- Kathryn J. Edin, coauthor of The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America
“An extraordinarily important book that challenges conventional wisdom about one of the most vexing problems in the United States: gun violence. Unforgiving Places is provocative, compelling, and essential.” 
  -- Melissa S. Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege
“A brilliant, engaging, and highly accessible analysis of the causes of gun violence in the United States, enriched with real-world examples from Ludwig’s experience studying crime in Chicago. Unforgiving Places offers a promising foundation for finally making headway at reducing gun violence in America. It is a must-read for anyone worried about the level of gun violence in our country—and especially those motivated to actually reduce it.”  -- Cecilia Elena Rouse, Princeton University
“On the list of challenges facing American cities, gun violence may be the most pressing. Unforgiving Places portrays the problem in deeply human and actionable terms. It is the most important book I’ve read on this quintessentially American challenge. Ludwig knows this work, and he knows what works." -- Michael Nutter, mayor of Philadelphia 2008-2016
“As an American police officer for the past fifty years, including time leading the police departments of Los Angeles and Chicago, I have dealt with gun violence at every level. I’ve been a victim of it, I’ve legally committed it and supervised its use, I’ve investigated it and I’ve been exposed to its horrific consequences literally a thousand times. Most importantly I’ve found ways to reduce it using the principles outlined in this incredible book by an academic who has research grounded in the reality of the street. Ludwig’s book is a must-read for all Americans, including and especially those who understand that our biggest current tragic failure as a country is our inability to protect our children from gun violence. Please read this book and then do something! You can be part of the problem or part of the solution but you are, by action or through inaction, one or the other.”
 
  -- Charlie Beck, former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and former superintendent of the Chicago Police Department