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Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
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Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx Paperback – Bargain Price, January 19, 2004

by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars (944)
Editors' pick Best Books of the Year 2003
In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. Focusing on two romances - Jessica's dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and Coco's first love with Jessica's little brother, Cesar - Random Family is the story of young people trying to outrun their destinies. 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 survival and death. Friends get murdered; the DEA and FBI investigate Boy George; Cesar becomes a fugitive; Jessica and Coco endure homelessness, betrayal, the heartbreaking separation of prison, and, throughout it all, the insidious damage of poverty.Charting the tumultuous cycle of the generations - as girls become mothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation - LeBlanc slips behind the cold statistics and sensationalism and comes back with a riveting, haunting, and true story.
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  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Scribner
  4. Publication date
    January 19, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.6 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0013L8BI8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 19, 2004
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd printi
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #5,443,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars (944)

About the author

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Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

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.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
944 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this book to be one of the best books of the decade, with a compelling story and beautifully written narrative. The book provides an intimate glimpse into the world of poverty, though customers describe it as heartbreaking. While the characters are intriguing, some customers note there's no character development at all. The pacing is engaging, making it hard to put down, and customers appreciate the writing style. The book's length receives mixed reactions, with some finding the timing appropriate for a follow-up while others consider it long-winded.

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ReadabilityInsightStory qualityPacingWriting styleHeartbreaking storyCharacter varietyLength
111 customers mention "Readability"96 positive15 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as one of the best books of the decade and a must-read for anyone.

"Great book, it is based on actual events and it just gives you insight on how certain choices people make in life can affect you forever and the..." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"This was a good read. The only reason why I didn't 5 star was because it was hard to keep up with the many characters especially in the beginning...." Read more

"...Arrived in the same condition as described. Good book and recommended to read up on the author before reading the book to understand the writing..." Read more

44 customers mention "Insight"41 positive3 negative

Customers find the book insightful, providing a look into various worlds, and one customer notes it is exhaustively-researched.

"Very insightful and important read. Humanizes a population that many (myself included) often label and misunderstand...." Read more

"Beautifully written, full of insight and compassion." Read more

"Brilliant research and compassionate tone. Should be required reading for high school and college students...." Read more

"An interesting book with tons of insight." Read more

32 customers mention "Story quality"31 positive1 negative

Customers find the book's story compelling and wonderfully told, with one customer describing it as an eye-opening account by an embedded reporter.

"Its raw, its gritty based on a true story. This book makes you fall in love with reading...." Read more

"A good story line but so many characters that continue to experience so many of the same things in life." Read more

"Great story, very interesting concept. I would like to read more about every character. I wonder where they are now...." Read more

"...I hope many, many others find their way to this remarkable story." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"10 positive4 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book very moving and hard to put down, with one customer noting it stays with readers for a long time.

"...The book itself is also a very great read, hard to put down. Haven't read a book this good in a very long time." Read more

"new! Super fast!" Read more

"A slow start, but you want to read more and you become connected to the people. I would highly recommend it" Read more

"...I first read it when it came out, found it incredibly moving, and have been hoping ever since to see it on the Kindle...." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing style"12 positive2 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as beautifully written, with one customer noting the author's great empathy and another highlighting its literary artistry.

"...It's straight forward, non-judgemental, well paced, and well written...." Read more

"...Very good read, the Author did her homework and then some. Very well written and I had to pass this book along so that others could read it and..." Read more

"Beautifully written, full of insight and compassion." Read more

"much has been made of the method used in writing this book, and from the first page through to the last, it is clear that an extraordinary amount of..." Read more

33 customers mention "Heartbreaking story"20 positive13 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's heartbreaking story, with some appreciating its intimate glimpse into the world of poverty, while others find it heart-wrenching.

"...It is beautiful and tragic and funny, and though-provoking. I've bought copies for many of my friends because I want to hold on to mine...." Read more

"I could not put this book down. It was heartbreaking, depressing, and hopeful all at once. A glimpse inside a world most of us will never know." Read more

"Depressing but important read..." Read more

"Brilliant research and compassionate tone. Should be required reading for high school and college students...." Read more

14 customers mention "Character variety"6 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character variety in the book, with some finding the characters intriguing while others report no character development at all.

"Too many characters; hard to keep track of everyone's name and remember each one's story. I wouldn't recommend this book." Read more

"...It's based on true, fascinating characters. It will change your life." Read more

"A good story line but so many characters that continue to experience so many of the same things in life." Read more

"...the characters are intriguing and their stories are exciting at times, and when they arent, you have to remember that life isnt always exciting...." Read more

9 customers mention "Length"4 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some appreciating the timing for a follow-up, while others find it long-winded.

"Very well written. Good documentation. Abrupt ending." Read more

"Started great...second half was BORING....felt like gossip...couldnt put it down at first, second half was unbearable, my family had tons of girls..." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"...The honesty and the way in which the timeline is so correctly described... This book is on the money...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • kinopku
    5.0 out of 5 stars all this happened?
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2009
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    much has been made of the method used in writing this book, and from the first page through to the last, it is clear that an extraordinary amount of work went into the writing of this story. however, i am always a bit skeptical of the fiction/non-fiction divide. regardless if the events are taken from real life, the author is still going to frame those events in a narrative and leave some things out and put some things in that fit into a narrative structure. this, to me, explains the slightly redemptive aspect of some of the storylines towards the end, and the overwhelming negativity of many of the interactions throughout the rest of the book.

    this is an amazing portrait of an interconnected group of people, some of whom are family. through their day-to-day lives and through the detailed minutia of their struggles in moving through homes, neighborhoods, schools, and other government institutions, the reader comes away with an understanding of some of the failures of our society, some of the people who are trying to make it better, and some of the impoverished who are in many ways just victims of their circumstances and family's overbearingness, and in other ways the creators of their lot through bad decision making and cultural practices antithetical to the pursuit of happiness as it may be known to the middle classes.

    the characters are intriguing and their stories are exciting at times, and when they arent, you have to remember that life isnt always exciting. reading this book and looking for excitement in the characters lives made me feel a bit like a bad person, but then again, this is a book and not a sociological report: it's there to entertain, right?

    an amazing book. read it.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • CK
    5.0 out of 5 stars 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!)
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Harold Davis
    4.0 out of 5 stars 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
    27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sucks you in
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Absolutely hooked from the first page, a real story, real good writing, captivating, heart pulling, tear jerking, EYE OPENING, one of the best books I've ever read! One of those books where you miss the characters like family when its done! Wish it could have went on forever!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Paul Huterer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great. Exactly as advertised.
    Report
  • Mark Shnier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A great read.
    Report