The book, Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, is set in the Bronx. It reminds me of Chicago. The author makes you feel like you are there. She is brutally honest about the crime and mayhem that is the everyday life of the characters. She uses some very good description. From the most disgusting things to the most gorgeous and wonderful things, she helps to put you in the characters shoes. The street as she describes it is rugged and unsafe. The fear of shootings and sexual comments doesn't seem to keep the teenagers off the street. Commitment seems to be unheard of.

The characters are very well portrayed. Jessica seems like a very strong girl. She is coming of age and looking for life on the wrong path. A gorgeous Puerto Rican girl on the street is a recipe for disaster in the Bronx. The boys stare at Jessica, and she likes it. She knows she's beautiful and is searching for love. Most boys are unfaithful and no good for her.
Lourdes, Cesar and Jessica's mother, is an aged and beat down woman. She has been through just about everything. Lourdes wants to be supportive for her children, but she keeps going back under. Allowing men in and out of her apartment, Lourdes leaves any young women staying with her at risk.

I enjoyed how the book was typed. It was brutally honest. It also gave insights on the future, and how something a character chooses will affect them later. The author is trying to get people to realize that living in the Bronx would not be easy. Adrian was very honest and I enjoyed that very much. If reading a book that catches eyes right from the start is enjoyable, check out this book.