Random Family

Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

By: Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

Narrated by: Roxana Ortega

This New York Times bestseller intimately depicts urban life in a gripping book that slips behind cold statistics and sensationalism to reveal the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour.

One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

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.

This was true to its setting and time

I really enjoyed listing to this story and I was able to see my family in these stories. I even knew one of the characters growing up. This was beautifully told.

An amazing piece of real, dedicated journalism.

This is a biography of a big, sprawling LatinX family in 1980's Bronx. The author observed this family without personal intervention for 10 years. Cousins and aunts and veteranas and half-siblings; friends that are every bit family. Her dedication to maintain her objectivity is masterful: these are often impoverished circles, and I can't imagine being the silent observer.
I'm so glad she did: the people in this "Random Family" feel like your family in the end. This is a comforting listen - like dropping in on old friends.

Speechless

This book has been one the most amazing audibles I have come across. I haven’t been trying to find it for years and finally was able to get ahold of it through audible. Coco was my absolute favorite character. She reminded me of so many women in my life. Truly a beautiful told story of the hardships that many people who live on poverty and how the influence of your surrounds and family can shape your life.

Powerful

Wow. This one packs a punch.

It has taken me the better part of a year to read / listen to this book. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc is an incredible journalist and has told this story— of George, Jessica, Cesar, and Coco —so well. Their struggles are real and exhausting and painful, but such an important story to tell. This is some incisive and insightful journalism.

Loved this

This book was so amazing. I wish I could see how everyone turned out. I probably listened to the whole thing in 3 days.