Random Family by Adrian Nicole Leblanc

Random Family follows the true life of Jessica, a young sixteen-year-old girl living in one of the poorest sections of the South Bronx during the Eighties. Jessica’s story is an eye-opener for anyone unfamiliar, and even for those familiar with the daily struggles of poverty. Leblanc does a phenomenal job immersing the reader in the challenges and life-altering decisions that the characters must make on a regular basis in order to survive the struggles of living in poverty. For this reader, Random Family is a painful read as I perceive the consequences of the choices the characters make.  It’s painful to watch how one often solves a problem by creating another problem due to the lack of opportunity and choices that are available.  This book is written for anyone reading at a high school level and above. Students who have read and liked Fist Stick Knife Gun will enjoy reading Random Family. --Claudio Leon

Click here for a reading group discussion guide from Simon and Schuster.  Click here for an interview with the author of Random Family ten years after it was published.

Leblanc, Adrian Nicole. Random Family. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.