Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: September 25, 2018Published by: Graphix
Read from: December 2, 2018Stand-aloneSource: LibraryTW: Addiction
For fans of: Graphic Novels, Memoirs, YA
Hey, Kiddo is the graphic memoir of author-illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Raised by his colorful grandparents, who adopted him because his mother was an incarcerated heroin addict, Krosoczka didn’t know his father’s name until he saw his birth certificate when registering for a school ski trip. Hey, Kiddo traces Krosoczka’s search for his father, his difficult interactions with his mother, his day-to-day life with his grandparents, and his path to becoming an artist.
To date, nearly one million people have viewed Krosoczka’s TED Talk about his experience. Artwork from his childhood and teen years will be incorporated into the original illustrations for the book.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I’m not normally one to go for memoirs, but this one being a National Book Award finalist caught my eye. And although this is someone’s memoir, I can see readers of fiction, non-fiction and those that like memoirs exclusively fans of this book.
Jarrett went through many changes as he grew up. Dealing with his mom’s addiction, things were constantly changing, where he lived, who she brought home, etc. But the only things that remained constant all those years was his love of drawing and his grandparents.
As I read this I realized why I didn’t always read memoirs….. They tug at your heart strings. And man this one is no different. Many of you don’t know this, but I don’t really like books about drug addictions because I had a family member who had a “monkey on his back,” (what he called it) for a very long time. Almost all my childhood. It’s normally hard for me to see teens struggling with their parent’s addiction because it still gives me bad feelings of my own experience with my uncle. But this, although it was a bit hard to read, I liked that this story was more about Jarrett and how he felt vs only about her and her addiction. It opened my eyes to what a real memoir can do.
As for the art, I really loved it. As per usual with me and graphic novels, I had to go back and look at the art again after I finished reading the book because I found myself concentrating mostly on the words. And let me just say, going back to study the art more in-depth is a fabulous idea. Krosoczka has a real talent and I’m glad he’s finally able to share it with the world. Also, throughout the book there is some of his original work from when he was growing up, and I think that’s awesome. Seeing his progression was phenomenal.
I loved this powerful and moving memoir. Even the Author’s Note had me a little misty eyed. It was so very sad, but so good. I hope more people read this and keep watching him. Krosoczka is one to watch!
Overall, I give this
