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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.
alixsbooktherapy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This book broke my heart I'm so proud of Jarrett though for accomplishing his dreams and making his grandparents happy. I hate that I relate to his relationship with his mom my mom was a alcoholic and never was there for me.the authors note and the notes before broke me I hope the author is doing well now. This is for sure a author I just wanna hug and say "you are not alone I see you"
"If you dwell on the ghosts of the past, they'll haunt you" But the opposite like the author said is true "if you ignore the ghost from your past, they'll haunt you" I live with this daily.
"She was a good person who made bad decisions" this broke me this is how I hope my mom would of been without addiction.
To the author I'm sorry for all your loses but me and the readers are here for you.
If anyone can please donate to the scholarship the author made in memory of his grandparents. This is a book I recommend everyone reads. I'd rate this higher if I could😭
If you are a drug addict don't have kids till you can choose them over the drugs.
"If you dwell on the ghosts of the past, they'll haunt you" But the opposite like the author said is true "if you ignore the ghost from your past, they'll haunt you" I live with this daily.
"She was a good person who made bad decisions" this broke me this is how I hope my mom would of been without addiction.
To the author I'm sorry for all your loses but me and the readers are here for you.
If anyone can please donate to the scholarship the author made in memory of his grandparents. This is a book I recommend everyone reads. I'd rate this higher if I could😭
If you are a drug addict don't have kids till you can choose them over the drugs.
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
Great coming of age memoir in graphic novel format. The author tells of his childhood being raised by his grandparents. His mother had addiction issues so couldn't be present in his life. The author never knew his birth father as a child. However, while the topic of drug addiction can be tough this was a book that left me feeling happy at the end. The book doesn't focus on the mom's addiction as it is from Jarrett's view point and she is mostly absent from his life.
Being from the Worcester area myself, I loved all the Worcester references (Hope Cemetery, Coney Island Hot Dog, Worcester Art Museum etc.) . The author went to high school at Holy Name in Worcester and graduated a few years after I did. I didn't go to Holy Name but I knew people from my hometown, Sutton, who did...so it is cool to me that there might only be 2 degrees of separation between the author and myself. :)
Great coming of age memoir in graphic novel format. The author tells of his childhood being raised by his grandparents. His mother had addiction issues so couldn't be present in his life. The author never knew his birth father as a child. However, while the topic of drug addiction can be tough this was a book that left me feeling happy at the end. The book doesn't focus on the mom's addiction as it is from Jarrett's view point and she is mostly absent from his life.
Being from the Worcester area myself, I loved all the Worcester references (Hope Cemetery, Coney Island Hot Dog, Worcester Art Museum etc.) . The author went to high school at Holy Name in Worcester and graduated a few years after I did. I didn't go to Holy Name but I knew people from my hometown, Sutton, who did...so it is cool to me that there might only be 2 degrees of separation between the author and myself. :)
caitlynchellew's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very unfair rating! I didn't read it in one go - it would've been a much better experience if I did!
irisdagmar's review against another edition
5.0
I cried. This was a beautiful, honest portrait of a complex family. I was deeply moved, and the artwork is amazing.
katieinca's review against another edition
5.0
4 *s for the graphic novel, 5 once you read the Author's Note at the end (I hardly cried at all until the Author's Note, and tears shed is definitely a metric by which I measure memoirs).
It's a very matter-of-fact, almost flat, style for a memoir. He doesn't talk a lot about his internal life much, he's more likely to show it in the art, or the actions he chooses to include in the story. He doesn't sugar coat the people in his family - he shows them doing and saying some ugly things. At the same time he also conveys his love for them. So the style grew on me, at least partly because it rang true as a way I've heard myself and others talk about hard things that we've lived through and come to own as part of the story that makes us who we are.
The 10yo read it in one sitting, didn't have much to say by way of a review, and apparently didn't cry at all.
It's a very matter-of-fact, almost flat, style for a memoir. He doesn't talk a lot about his internal life much, he's more likely to show it in the art, or the actions he chooses to include in the story. He doesn't sugar coat the people in his family - he shows them doing and saying some ugly things. At the same time he also conveys his love for them. So the style grew on me, at least partly because it rang true as a way I've heard myself and others talk about hard things that we've lived through and come to own as part of the story that makes us who we are.
The 10yo read it in one sitting, didn't have much to say by way of a review, and apparently didn't cry at all.