Random Family : Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING AND RIDICULOUS
Review: THIS BOOK MANAGES TO TELL THE STORY OF A SUPER GHETO FABULOUS FAMILY IN THE BRONX. IN THIS BOOK THE READER BEARS WITNESS TO TEENAGE PREGNACY, DRUG ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SELF HATRED, DEPRESSION AND ECOMOMIC OPPRESSION. THIS STORY IS SAD BUT IT ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC AND RIDUCLOUS; SO MUCH SO, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THIS WAS A TRUE STORY. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE COULD BE SO NIEVE AND STUPID. THE BOOK IS ABOUT A BUNCH OF STUPID YOUNG GIRLS WHO CAN'T FIND A PLANNED PARENTHOOD, BIRTH CONTROL OR BRAINS. IT'S RIDULOUS! HOW MANY GIRLS DO YOU KNOW WHO HAVE 3 KIDS BY THE TIME THEY ARE 19 AND 5 BY THE TIME THEY ARE 23; NOT ONE'S WITH ANY BRAINS. WHEN DO YOU SAY NO. WHEN DO YOU SAY I UNMARRIED AND UNDER EDUCATED AND I CAN'T SUPPORT A BABY. AFTER READING THIS BOOK, I'M GLAD THAT WELFARE REFORM WAS IMPLEMENTED. THE OLD WELFARE SYSTEM GAVE WOMEN LIKE COCO AND JESSICA AN INSENTIVE TO KEEP HAVING CHILDERN THEY COULDN'T SUPPORT. I'M NOT TRYING TO INSULT ANY ONE BY THIS STATEMENT BUT THIS TYPE OF LOGIC IS SIMPLY RIDICULOUS.
I ALSO, REALLY DIDN'T CARE FOR THE WAY THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN. IT WAS WRITTEN IN A CHRONOLGICAL ESSAY/NARRATIVE FORMAT. I LIKE A STORY, NOT A OVERDRAW ESSAY ABOUT RANDOM EVENTS IN SOMEONE'S LIFE. THIS BOOK NEVER EXPLORED ONE STORY OR ONE SITUATION IN DEPTH AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT. I ONLY FINISHED THE BOOK SO I COULD FORMULATE A COMPLETE ANAYSIS OF THE BOOK; TO BE FAIR BEFORE I CRITQUE A BOOK. THIS BOOK LOST ME VERY EARLY ON. I JUST READ THE BOOK TO FINISH IT, NOT BECAUSE I ENJOYED IT. SAVE YOU TIME READ SOMETHING ELSE.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: To the "Pregnant/Stupid" reviewer - THIS book gets "it"
Review: I believe that LeBlanc got it dead on, and that, like a previous reviewer said, she got "it", unlike you did. Sure, there are mistakes made by everyone, rich or poor, black or white, and yes, even East Coast or West Coast, like you. It actually amazes me that the goofiest, "make fun of it" reviews on this page came from a couple of you on the West Coast. Try living in the slums of New York, D.C., or Philly sometime. And LeBlanc gets it exactly right - incredible work of non-fiction. Gritty, gripping, dynamic, true, and heartbreaking. To the reviewer I'm specifically targeting, you simply don't get "it", and I'm sorry for you. If you did, you'd have a bit more compassion. Why don't you try helping out rather than criticizing? I understand your frustration. A lot of ignorant people like yourself would rather blame the people than the system, because they don't know a lot about it. But it rides on the shoulders of both. Rather than criticize, help out. If everyone who thought like you did actually chose action rather than words, then perhaps things would change for the better.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Picture of Reality
Review: This non-judgemental, captivating story of life in the Bronx is all the more powerful because it is real. For anyone interested in subcultures within the American experience this is a thoroughly engrossing book. For anyone who has ever questioned the judgement, or life-chioces of those entrenched in poverty this book provides the framework for understanding the cycles of love and abuse that perpetuate themselves. For anyone who has ever been sad to finish a wonderful novel because they were going to "miss the characters" this book provides a new dimension of captivation. It is tragic, touching, enlightening and stunningly well-written. It is a truly fascinating book.

Rating:
Summary: Sad, Accurate and Emotionally Exhausting.
Review: Phew. What can I say? Reading this book reminded me of people living in poverty that I observed growing up in the Bronx. The author, LeBlanc, takes the reader into the intimate lives of the main characters. We read about the countless bad choices they continue to make, never learning from previous mistakes of friends and family. I was left shaking my head at things that were said, done and NOT done. Common sense never seemed to exist to these folks. Children are born one after another for no reason other than bragging rights for the babies fathers. We see that ghetto status means having nice leather trench-coats, fat gold chains, eating shrimp on City Island, while still collecting the welfare check and living in dirty dangerous tenaments.
We learn that these girls have no other aspirations and towards the end of the book when one character seems to have a glimmer of opportunity to be led down a different path, that hope is abruptly snached away as she too, follows the same path as those before her.
The first chapter, with it's dizzying array of charcters, seems confusing at first, but each character serves a purpose later in the book.
I could only tackle this book a couple of chapters at a time.
It is a long book and there are so many characters that I found myself emotionally exhausted after each read.
The saddest thing about this is that it was real, and IS still very real.

Rating:
Summary: OH, PLEASE PREGNANT AND STUPID
Review: This is such a comical book. It's about poor choices made over and over again but a bunch of easy/sleazy PR girls. Jessica and Coco are young Puerto Rican girls that get pregnant just about every year with different guys. Nobody can figure out where poverty and pregnancy comes from. It's sad that these girls have innocent babies that they can't feed or clothe and they go from homeless shelters into drug/roach infested apartments. By the descriptions of these girls Coco has a red face she picks at and she is four foot eleven, fat, small feet...I have to wonder who in their right mind are impregnating these idiots. It makes me happy that I am on the West Coast. Actually, all these children should just be rounded up and sent to an orphanage or foster care....they'd be better off.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book... a Must read...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent view into a different world
Review: This book is illuminating and heartbreaking, while not being sentimental. This combination makes for a story that is worthwhile if only for the stark look at a life many of us will never come close to understanding.

Rating:
Summary: So Sad But So True
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Well-Written - An Eye-Opener!
Review: It took me less than two days to read "Random Family" from cover to cover - I only put it down when I absolutely had to. I'd known before that I'd led a sheltered, naive kind of life, and this book showed me a world I'd certainly heard about but never, praise God, had the misfortune to experience for myself. Ms. LeBlanc's writing style and thoroughly-documented detail allowed me to do so and thus educated me in a most effective way. "Random Family" should be a must-read for all.

I've read criticism pertaining to Ms. LeBlanc's participation, or, rather, her lack of it, in the telling of this tale. I believe she made the right choice in choosing to maintain a third-person perspective. Had she told the story from her own vantage point, or included herself as a character, the reader would not feel the full impact of the point she is trying to make. The experience and knowledge one gains from reading "Random Family" would only be diluted if obtained through the buffer the author's viewpoint would provide.