<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>The result of over ten years of immersion reporting, "Random Family" charts atumultuous decade in which girls become mothers, mothers become grandmothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation. 75,000print.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>This<i> New York Times </i>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.</b> <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.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><i>Los Angeles Times</i> A nonfiction <i>Middlemarch</i> of the underclass...A new benchmark in the field of immersion journalism.<br><br><i>Newsweek</i> Keenly observed, pitch-perfect...A dense, rich narrative that reads like a novel.<br><br><i>Vogue</i> A magnificent tour de force...An insider's narrative that grips from the start.<br><br>Alex Kotlowitz author of <i>There Are No Children Here</i> A remarkable piece of reportage about a tucked-away corner of America... It's one compelling read.<br><br>Janet Maslin <i>The New York Times</i> Mesmerizing...The artistry of this frank, enthralling book lies in the utter simplicity -- and careful, subtle selectivity -- with which LeBlanc plainly describes the determining events in what will now be unforgettable lives.<br>