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Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx Hardcover – Jan. 28 2003

by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (Author)

4.5 786 ratings

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Random Family tells the American outlaw saga lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. With an immediacy made possible only after ten years of reporting, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses the reader in the mind-boggling intricacies of the little-known ghetto world. She charts the tumultuous cycle of the generations, as girls become mothers, mothers become grandmothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation.

Two romances thread through Random Family: the sexually charismatic nineteen-year-old Jessica's dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and fourteen-year-old Coco's first love with Jessica's little brother, Cesar, an aspiring thug. Fleeing from family problems, the young couples try to outrun their destinies. Chauffeurs whisk them to getaways in the Poconos and to nightclubs. They cruise the streets in Lamborghinis and customized James Bond cars. Jessica and Boy George ride the wild adventure between riches and ruin, while Coco and Cesar stick closer to the street, all four caught in a precarious dance between life and death. Friends get murdered; the DEA and FBI investigate Boy George's business activities; Cesar becomes a fugitive; Jessica and Coco endure homelessness, betrayal, the heartbreaking separation of prison, and throughout it all, the insidious damage of poverty. Together, then apart, the teenagers make family where they find it. Girls look for excitement and find trouble; boys, searching for adventure, join crews and prison gangs. Coco moves upstate to dodge the hazards of the Bronx; Jessica seeks solace in romance. Both find that love is the only place to go.

A gifted prose stylist and a profoundly compassionate observer, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc has slipped behind the cold statistics and sensationalism surrounding inner-city life and come back with a riveting, haunting, and true urban soap opera that reveals the clenched grip of the streets. Random Family is a compulsive read and an important journalistic achievement, sure to take its place beside the classics of the genre.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

Jan. 28 2003
Dimensions

15.88 x 3.18 x 23.5 cm
ISBN-10

0684863871
ISBN-13

978-0684863870
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Product description

From Publishers Weekly

Politicians rail about welfare queens, crack babies and deadbeat dads, but what do they know about the real struggle it takes to survive being poor? Journalist LeBlanc spent some 10 years researching and interviewing one extended family-mother Lourdes, daughter Jessica, daughter-in-law Coco and all their boyfriends, children and in-laws-from the Bronx to Troy, N.Y., in and out of public housing, emergency rooms, prisons and courtrooms. LeBlanc's close listening produced this extraordinary book, a rare look at the world from the subjects' point of view. Readers learn that prison is just an extension of the neighborhood, a place most men enter and a rare few leave. They learn the realities of welfare: the myriad of misdemeanors that trigger reduction or termination of benefits, only compounding a desperate situation. They see teenaged drug dealers with incredible organizational and financial skills, 13-year-old girls having babies to keep their boyfriends interested, older women reminiscing about the "heavenly time" they spent in a public hospital's psychiatric ward and incarcerated men who find life's first peace and quiet in solitary confinement. More than anything, LeBlanc shows how demanding poverty is. Her prose is plain and unsentimental, blessedly jargon-free, and includidng street talk only when one of her subjects wants to "conversate." This fine work deserves attention from policy makers and general readers alike.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Journalist LeBlanc spent more than 10 years following two Latina women from the Bronx, and in this ambitious work, she tells their stories, beginning in the late 1980s with their young teen years. Older Jessica becomes a mistress to an enormously successful heroin dealer, and Coco falls for Jessica's brother, an aspiring gangster. The two women find love, weather abuse, have babies, endure their own and their partners' prison terms, and struggle with health problems, social systems, motherhood, their own mothers, the violence of their communities, and the uncertain future. LeBlanc's prose is sprawling and dense with cinematic detail--what people wore, ate, drove, listened to; where they lived; what they said--and she studiously removes herself from the story, letting her characters' day-to-day lives unfold in scenes that are both gripping and mundane and, like life, defy easy organization. What emerges is an important, unvarnished portrait of people living in deep urban poverty, beyond the statistics, hip-hop glamour, and stereotypes. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (Jan. 28 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0684863871
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684863870
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 612 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.88 x 3.18 x 23.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #1,550,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,861 in Urban Communities
- #5,998 in Books on Social & Family Issues for Young Adults
- #33,273 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 786 ratings

About the author

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Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

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Adrian Nicole LeBlanc is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Esquire, Elle, Spin, The Source, The Village Voice, and other magazines. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Smith College, a Master's of Philosophy and Modern Literature from Oxford University, a Master of Law Studies from Yale Law School, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the New York University School of Journalism. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including a Bunting fellowship from Radcliffe, a MacDowell Colony residency, and a Soros Media Fellowship from the Open Society. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc lives in Manhattan. Random Family is her first book.

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Paul Huterer

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great. Exactly as advertised.

Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

A great read.

Reviewed in Canada on December 17, 2020

A beautifully written story about a not-so-beautiful life, I was hoping to read more from this author and was saddened to find that she died shortly after writing this book, and there seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding her.

Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2003

This was an excellent piece of journalism. This book covered many different real topics. Women and men in prison,poverty mixed with drug addiction,teenage pregnancy,child molestation and the list goes on. The fact that I grew up in the projects in NYC and then myself migrated to the city of Troy made this book even more riveting. I could definitely relate to many aspects of this book. But because I have always met someone who would give me a chance my life turned out nothing like that of Jessica's or Coco's or Serena's. I would like to also take time out to thank women like "Milagros" who has never given birth but who has taken in six children who were not her own and worked to raise these children. My hat is off to you. This family with all their extended offspring reflects many that are in every city. But unlike Coco who I am not knocking every time life throws me lemons I make lemonade. Why?????? Because I have long ago realized that life is to complex to ask Why????? And still I rise and after I have risen more lemons are rolled and sometimes thrown my way and guess what I still rise. I realize it is not easy for everyone to do this so what I am imploring is that all social service and governmental agencies read this book to understand every Random family and how one day when they are sitting in front of you how you can help them and not downgrade them. You could even be the lady in the bakery store ( Bella Napoli) smile at the little kid who only has twenty five cents for a cookie that costs one dollar and then find a sample cookie that they can afford. Because I am quite sure when that snooty lady comes in and wants a sample cookie she receives it. I also felt Rick Mason could have helped Coco to become a better mother instead of making her feel alienated in a place that was supposed to be her own home. They have a community center at corliss park utilize this for parenting and budgeting classes. Their are plenty of at home moms that are willing to volunteer their services to teach these young mothers how to become better women. You see KNOWLEDGE is the key to all of these problems without that no matter how hard any random family tries they will not succeed. Mercedes sat in that probation office begging for help their is no reason why she should slip between the cracks especially not in the city of troy where there are plenty of services that are unknown to destitute people. TO YOU Ms.LeBlanc A job well done. This family was very well researched and your portrayal of certain areas in this book were wonderfully written. You managed to keep your opinion out and just report. TEN STARS!!!!!!!! The best nonfiction that I have ever read. Thank you. Topazzz

Reviewed in Canada on May 14, 2004

Random Family is a pretty good book. It slowly draws your attention, depending your vangage point. I suspect that if your life is far removed from urban woes, you'll be immediately fascinated with the characters' lives. On the other hand, if the book closely relates to someone you know, it may take awhile to capture your interest.
The book is so deeply accurate, you will have to remind yourself that is is actually NON-FICTION. It is also deeply revealing about a life of moral and sexual dysfunction. You begin to feel sorry, then angry, then sorry again. It will take a moment to get acclimated to the setting. Although it is an easy read, as the story illustrates itself in your mind. There are a myriad of people, places and names that move in and out of the book which makes it difficult to keep track of everyone, even though they possess some relevance to the story. This is probably due to the lack of real boundaries within the families.
For me, I strangely understood why Coco was destined to live the cycle of her life or why Jessica would probably end up like Lordes: they are part of a never-ending trama which is reinforced by those around them and the family they are raised to trust. They don't seek outside help, therefore the people who are closest to them, are their biggest detriment. The seek advice and counsel among those who are equally as powerless as they are. Coco, Jessica and Ceasar are part of an entrenched family that lives a life of mistakes first, lessons second. The book emphasizes the community at every angle, describing the run-down, poverty stricken setting as an equivalent physical theme in their lives which is closely related to their inner worth
It has an abrupt ending that leaves you cold and wondering what happened. Still, the story will pull you into its grasp and bring alot of issues to the forefront of your mind.

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Marilyn Robles

Great Book... a Must read...

Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2003

Ms. Leblanc has writen a great book. This book depicts a lot of the struggles that a girl goes through growing up in the bronx. In most books you read a story of family struggles and things of that nature. in this book i actually felt as if i were right there. this book was so good that i coudn't put it down. i finished it in 2 days. I highly recomend this book to anybody. I really hope that Ms. Leblanc decides to write about Coco and Jesica's struggle again. I would really like to see what turns out of their life. I would also like to see what turns out of everybody else's life in the book as well. I feel as if i know them. I grew up in the Bronx around Hunts point where some of the story takes place. And i could really relate to some not all but some of the struggles that these women have gone through. Fortunetly for me i was given the opportunity to change the direction my life was going. This book also shows the struglles that women growing up go through. and it also reflects how strong Coco and Milagros were. Coco tried to do her best with what she had and Milagros raising kids that weren't even hers. At any point she could have just turned the kids over and done better for herself. Milagros showed selfishness in this book, a quality that most women lack. It also shows how living the high life always has consequences, wheather it be jail time ot just the fact that your kids end up paying for the actions you choose. This was a a really great book and i would recommend it to anybody and everybody. Thank you Ms. Leblanc for this great story and bringing it to us.

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Top reviews from other countries

Carly

Loved this book

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

Excellent book to illustrate the cycle of poverty and how hard it is to break out of. Also very engaging. I have recommended it to several friends.

2 people found this helpful

Harold Davis

Gripping, but left me sad and queasy

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's "Random Family" grips you from the start and doesn't let go. This is one compelling read. The book follows the stories of drug kingpin Boy George, street tough Cesar, Cesar's sister Jessica (who is a lover of Boy George), Coco (who is in love with Cesar) and their expanding circle of lovers, kids and family. The locus of the action is on the streets and in the tenements of the South Bronx, within the social welfare bureaucracy, and in penitentiaries. The subtext and meta-story has to do with the damaging effects of poverty going down the generations, and how hard it is to break free from the chains of poverty. The action takes place in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

As I've noted, "Random Family" is a compelling read. There are, however, a couple of things that make me uneasy about this "instant classic" (the book was first published in 2003).

"Random Family" is presented as non-fiction, but of course there is no way to be sure how accurately reality is depicted. This is always a difficult issue, but particularly troublesome here. Author Leblanc states in her end note that "Random Family" is a "book of nonfiction. I was present for much of what is depicted...." She also says that she relied on hundreds of hours of written and taped reviews, and that descriptions of experiences and exchanges were confirmed through primary and secondary interviews.

This all sounds authoritative, and I'm not necessarily accusing Leblanc of intentional mendacity, but of course the reader has no practical way to audit her source material. Even granting her 100% accuracy of recall and transcription there are still a couple of points worth noting.

She says that (a) this is a work of non-fiction; (b) she (the author) was present at many of the scenes described; and (c) the author does not in fact appear in any of these scenes. Alas, this is a contradiction on its face.

There is an elegiac quality to some of the reminiscing she transcribes in terms of things like the attractiveness of men and women, the wealth of drug dealers, and so on. How much of this is gilding the memories, a natural thing for people to do when they talk about their pasts?

I am also disturbed by the narrative tone of the book. It partially sounds like anthropology, but in fact at best is nonfiction reportage. The anthropological tone---almost like Margaret Meade or Oscar Lewis's Mexico studies---tends to manipulate the reader to put aside normal skepticism, and also to regard the characters in the book as quaint "subjects"---rather than the sign of the failure of our society and culture that they are. This is voyeurism, plain and simple.

"Random Family" features third-person omniscient narrative---the narrator is apparently all-seeing and all-knowing. Every time this narrative (outside of dialog and memories) slipped in the demotic argot of the characters in the book---for example, "broke night" is a standard phrase used in the book to describe staying up all night---I was jarred.

In the end, this is a compelling book and a great read that left me sad for the waste of lives and human talent that it describes, and also with some doubts about the tone and substance of the narration.

Review © Harold Davis

20 people found this helpful

Mary Lins

Too Much Repetition

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2023

Verified Purchase

Critically acclaimed and award winning, “Random Family”, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003), was highly recommended to me, and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it because I rarely read non-fiction.

It’s the story of the denizens of a poor and blighted Bronx neighborhood in the 1980s and 90s. LeBlanc provides the shocking details poverty, drug use, parenthood, and culture, in this riveting account. I was fascinated, horrified, and educated.

My criticism is that it went on for too long; too much repetition of pregnancies, drug use, prison, the cycle of fast wealth followed by intense poverty. I know it IS a repetitive thing, but I ended up starting to skim through.

In many ways “Random Family” reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver’s recent masterpiece about poverty in Appalachia, “Demon Copperhead”, which I highly recommend.

CK

Can't get enough of Random Family!

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2011

Verified Purchase

The first time I read this book was in 2007. It was recommended to me not once, not twice, BUT THREE TIMES by three different people. From the first sentence I couldn't put it down. The characters are even better than those in fiction and they're actual people. I read this book two times. The first time I owned it, I lent it to someone who never gave it back. I should've learned the first time but I didn't. I lent it again to people I work with and the person who read it gave it to someone else who gave it to someone else... I don't know who has it, but I know that everyone loves this book! When I was reading it on the train a fellow commuter commented on my facial expressions because yes, the book is JUST THAT GOOD. (I was reading about Coco and my jaw dropped.) You're going to be surprised, angry, confused, happy... I'm on Amazon right now because I want to buy another copy for myself and one for a friend.

If you want a story that will help you escape reality entirely, please read this book. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down and all you'll want to do is talk about it with others. And the best part? There's nothing on Google about it. Hardly anything. That's what makes it even more intriguing! In this age of instant information, hardly anything exists on the people in Random Family (that I've been able to find). Do yourself a favor and read this book!

(I apologize for any and all typos. Also, if you've found information about Coco or Jessica, please let me know where you found it!)

7 people found this helpful

Big Reader

A book that will change your life if you let it

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2005

Verified Purchase

Random Family is a book unlike any other I have read recently, and I read a lot. The author's portrait of a poor Bronx family, and their friends and enemies, is devastating in its detail--the continuing effort to get enough money for a box of Pampers, the knowledge that if you take time off to bring your child to the doctor, you will lose your job. The author shows the reader how very claustrophobic this world is for its inhabitants, how much courage and effort it takes to live in and yet how much it means to them (and why not? It's home.) You see Cesar or Jessica or Serena making a mistake, and you don't judge them, you just wish it could be different.

I came to care about every single person in that book, no matter if they had committed a crime or not. I wish I knew how they are all doing today. I am a lifelong New Yorker and I am sure I ride the subway with people like Jessica and Coco every day, and yet I don't know their stories, what they go through, what obstacles they face. I will never look on poor people in the same way again. Whatever sympathy or understanding I thought I had, I realize now I didn't have a clue about how people live when they live in poverty.

I would like to thank Jessica and Coco and everyone else who told the author their story, as well as the author herself. Bless you all.

3 people found this helpful

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