Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the BronxRandom Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Score Modern
What it's about
Adrian Nicole LeBlanc spent more than a decade following two young women and their families in the South Bronx. Jessica falls in love with a powerful heroin dealer, and her teenage years become a cycle of romance, money and prison. Coco, who dates Jessica's younger brother, raises her children in poverty, moving from apartment to apartment and through the welfare system. LeBlanc reports their lives in detail, without judgment, from the late '80s onward.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the New York Times list of the century's best books and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. It's one of the most intimate works of journalism ever written about American poverty.
You'll love it if you liked
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Nickel and Dimed
Men We Reaped: A MemoirGood to know
It includes drugs, violence and sexual abuse. It's long, and has a big cast of family members.
By the numbers
- Readers87 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics69 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller5 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #64 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #161 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #314 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx worth reading?
Yes. It's on the New York Times list of the century's best books and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. It ranks #314 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx about?
Adrian Nicole LeBlanc spent more than a decade following two young women and their families in the South Bronx. Jessica falls in love with a powerful heroin dealer, and her teenage years become a cycle of romance, money and prison. Coco, who dates Jessica's younger brother, raises her children in poverty, moving from apartment to apartment and through the welfare system. LeBlanc reports their lives in detail, without judgment, from the late '80s onward.
How long does it take to read Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx?
About 10 hours (408 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx?
If you liked it, try Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich or Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward.