false 385255 5 <P> 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 -- <I>Random Family</I> 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. <P> 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. 909535 19 1 2003 Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx total:2660|5:1264|4:928|3:356|2:83|1:29| 2660 11295 4078 564 5 4 false false Wed Dec 26 16:49:01 -0800 2007 Thu Apr 03 18:56:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 3 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Jul 25 04:19:47 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 25 04:41:14 -0700 2007
IT’S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT MY VIEWS WILL CHANGE AFTER A SECOND READ.

SO DON’T READ THIS REVIEW YET.

DON’T READ THIS REVIEW

DON’T READ THIS REVIEW ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Feb 23 08:25:18 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 01 07:33:03 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu May 10 09:07:50 -0700 2007 Thu May 10 09:08:04 -0700 2007
Although LeBlanc zooms in on several family members, she focuses on the lives of Coco and Jessica, two ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Dec 25 13:14:56 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 22:03:59 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 13:14:56 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu May 22 12:25:05 -0700 2008 Thu May 22 12:45:11 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 14:21:59 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 14:38:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Apr 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 08 15:37:24 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 15:42:27 -0700 2009
Politicians rail about welfare queens, crack babies and deadbeat dads, but...more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Jan 30 14:33:43 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 14:34:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 22 19:03:45 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 19:03:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 09:29:24 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 12:53:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 13:09:54 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 13:19:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 23 10:58:37 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 21:15:54 -0700 2009
Why I am a really amazing parent:

1. I didn’t start having my family when I was 14.
2. I don’t use drugs.
3. I don’t leave my children with ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 16:39:09 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 17:49:58 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 19:30:28 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 15:17:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 19:49:57 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 20 04:47:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 18:56:30 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 18:53:18 -0700 2009
''Since there were few real options for mobility, people in Coco's world measured improvement in microscopic increments of better-than-whatever-was-worse. These tangible gradations mattered more than the clichéd language of success that floated blandly out of...more...]]> 0 0 true false Mon Dec 08 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 09:45:37 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 10:57:34 -0800 2008 Once was more than enough. Locked Up or Knocked Up, and Sometimes Both. No doubt it's a moral failing of mine but I'm having trouble caring much for this cast of morons. I'm sur...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 10 06:09:16 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 06:09:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jul 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 17:57:18 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 14:03:49 -0700 2009 more...]]>