Karen H. (SashaFletch) reviewed on 9/9/2011 + 121 more book reviews

I tried to read this book. I got to about page 75. But it was too depressing for me to continue. I'm sure many people would like this book. It starts in the 80's and is about a "Random" poor Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. The men are all drug dealers and their girls are all pregnant at 14 and 15. The women are constantly getting beaten and seem to accept it as part of life. The drug gangs get busted and all the men go to jail. The women seem to have no morals at all and run around like crazy even though they know that they will receive a beating or be kicked out of the house. The poor babies are neglected or abused. I just couldn't go on. This is a non-fiction book, researched for years by the author and nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's also a New York Times Best Seller. So, if this is a part of life that you are really interested in, don't let my opinions stop you. I am just too sensitive to this type of thing and it saddens me that people really live like this - in perpetual ignorance and despair.

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