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knkoch's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
I picked this up because the content of the memoir (drug addiction and alcohol abuse within a family) appealed to my interests right now, and a recovery-based approach felt like the right fit for such a story. The author included an impressive amount of personal letters, childhood drawings, and photographs within his illustrated narrative, which gave it a realistic texture and contextualized the events within specific decades. Unfortunately, I didn't find the writing as deep or analytical as I was hoping it would be. This account chronicles the events in Krosoczka's life and extended family with little commentary or introspection, and he doesn't seem to pull on threads or investigate patterns or themes. Of course, just telling your life story can be enough, but I wanted him to dig deeper more often. There's a section where he illustrates recurring nightmares he has as a child, which made great use of this format. But otherwise, this was a little disappointing.
ltgrech's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
_reading_with_kate_'s review against another edition
The audiobook version made me cry more than the graphic novel did- am glad to have experienced them both.
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
I read a lot, but I don't typically read a lot of memoirs, graphic or otherwise. It's simply a genre that doesn't entirely appeal to me, not because I think there's anything wrong with it, but because it's usually not my thing. When I do read nonfiction, I prefer history or science.
I knew of this author because my kids were big fans of the Lunch Lady middle grade graphic series. I've never read those myself, but my kids told me things about them, and they sounded clever and fun to me. I could see why my kids took to them as they did.
Flash forward a few years, to me hearing the author being interviewed on Fresh Air. I was surprised by what I'd heard, and touched by the idea that he wanted to write this memoir not just to tell his story, but to tell his story so that young people affected by similar situations might read it and know they're not alone.
Well, I'm here to tell you that I found this deeply moving, very honest, shocking, and complex. Of course I have no idea how accurately Krosoczka is portraying his family members, but it's obvious he's not out to shave off their sharp edges or polish away their less appealing characteristics. Despite that his grandmother raises him and seems to care about him, to say she isn't really loving or nurturing is an understatement. And I think the book does a really compelling job of portraying how complex the author's relationship with his parents was/is, as well as how, even after everything they did to him, he was able to find a way to forge relationships with them.
This was not an easy childhood, not by any stretch. Yes, he does have a home, but that home is problematic, and not just when he's living with his addict mother. I've already mentioned his grandmother, but even though his grandfather seems like a kind and loving man, he's also portrayed as a somewhat absent figure, and one who maybe had a problematic relationship with alcohol. It's pretty clear from this book that addiction is an issue in the author's family.
Yet he doesn't lose sight of anyone's humanity either--including his own. As he tells it, his younger self lashed out at times, and while it's certainly understandable why he did, I also didn't think he went to lengths to make himself look better. This book does a lot to be honest about people's flaws. I can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must have been to write, something he does address in the afterward and acknowledgements.
This book brought me to tears more than once. I could also identify with a lot about it, since the author and I are very close in age. Yet even though his struggles take place in the eighties and nineties, this book is sadly timely in 2018, thanks to the opioid epidemic this country is in the middle of. My takeaway from this, as with other books about drug addiction, is that addiction is a horrible scourge on this country, one that for decades--even centuries--we haven't been doing nearly enough about. If this book doesn't illustrate the critical importance of our country shaping up and coming up with better drug policy and providing addicts with better access to high-quality, affordable treatment, I don't know what does. I read Dopesick this year as well, and it's sad how little things have changed since Krosoczka was going through his childhood struggles.
Also, major shout out to the author and the foundation he created for arts education for kids in his hometown. I always respect this kind of giving back to the community and wish the government would take a page from activists' books.
I knew of this author because my kids were big fans of the Lunch Lady middle grade graphic series. I've never read those myself, but my kids told me things about them, and they sounded clever and fun to me. I could see why my kids took to them as they did.
Flash forward a few years, to me hearing the author being interviewed on Fresh Air. I was surprised by what I'd heard, and touched by the idea that he wanted to write this memoir not just to tell his story, but to tell his story so that young people affected by similar situations might read it and know they're not alone.
Well, I'm here to tell you that I found this deeply moving, very honest, shocking, and complex. Of course I have no idea how accurately Krosoczka is portraying his family members, but it's obvious he's not out to shave off their sharp edges or polish away their less appealing characteristics. Despite that his grandmother raises him and seems to care about him, to say she isn't really loving or nurturing is an understatement. And I think the book does a really compelling job of portraying how complex the author's relationship with his parents was/is, as well as how, even after everything they did to him, he was able to find a way to forge relationships with them.
This was not an easy childhood, not by any stretch. Yes, he does have a home, but that home is problematic, and not just when he's living with his addict mother. I've already mentioned his grandmother, but even though his grandfather seems like a kind and loving man, he's also portrayed as a somewhat absent figure, and one who maybe had a problematic relationship with alcohol. It's pretty clear from this book that addiction is an issue in the author's family.
Yet he doesn't lose sight of anyone's humanity either--including his own. As he tells it, his younger self lashed out at times, and while it's certainly understandable why he did, I also didn't think he went to lengths to make himself look better. This book does a lot to be honest about people's flaws. I can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must have been to write, something he does address in the afterward and acknowledgements.
This book brought me to tears more than once. I could also identify with a lot about it, since the author and I are very close in age. Yet even though his struggles take place in the eighties and nineties, this book is sadly timely in 2018, thanks to the opioid epidemic this country is in the middle of. My takeaway from this, as with other books about drug addiction, is that addiction is a horrible scourge on this country, one that for decades--even centuries--we haven't been doing nearly enough about. If this book doesn't illustrate the critical importance of our country shaping up and coming up with better drug policy and providing addicts with better access to high-quality, affordable treatment, I don't know what does. I read Dopesick this year as well, and it's sad how little things have changed since Krosoczka was going through his childhood struggles.
Also, major shout out to the author and the foundation he created for arts education for kids in his hometown. I always respect this kind of giving back to the community and wish the government would take a page from activists' books.
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good! A memoir about the illustrator and his family. About his mom who was never around (and often in rehab/halfway homes and still in the hands of drugs), his grandparents (wasn't always a fan of his grandmother, but his grandfather was a sweetheart), about his uncles and aunts, about school, I loved seeing him grow up, get stronger, find something he loves (and get all the support he could which I just adored). It was such a good book and I just devoured it in one go.
Recommended.
Recommended.
barefootbetsy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Heavy but so well done. Wow. I expect I'll be thinking about this book for many years to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, Drug use, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Infidelity
heathenwitch_iateach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
It is so raw and authentic. It's a beautiful story that shows that family is never perfect, but in the end, nothing is, and his reflection at that age is awe-inspiring that, despite all odds, he did not allow anything to hold him back.