Love and Consequences (2008)

LOVE AND CONSEQUENCES Margaret B. Jones' memoir of a childhood in foster care surrounded by L.A.'s gang culture

UPDATE: Shortly after this review was originally published, Love and Consequences, sold as a memoir, was revealed by the New York Times to be pure fiction.

A victim of sexual abuse in kindergarten, Margaret B. Jones (a.k.a. Bree) entered California's foster-care system and found a loving home with an all-black family in South Central L.A. As she and her two new brothers, both Bloods, became more engrossed in the neighborhood's gang culture, their guardian, Big Mom, prayed endlessly for a better life. Readers of Love and Consequences may wonder if Jones embellishes the dialogue — much of which she remembers from childhood. But what shines through is a powerful story of resilience and unconditional love, in a country that can too easily forget the people it fails. A-