The New Yorker: "The Pura Principle" by Junot Diaz

Yunior, who is still in high school, lives with his older brother Rafa and their mother. But Rafa has leukemia, and has been spending a lot of time in the hospital. Meanwhile, Yunior gets high a lot, and the mother spends time with her religious pals, the "Four Horsefaces of the Apocalypse." When Rafa comes home, he doesn't take care of himself. He goes out partying, gets drunk and high, and brings women home, all over the mother's objections. He even spends some time with his old...