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zapkode's review
5.0
{My thoughts} – I am a huge fan of Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s illustrations in the Jedi Academy books. When I’d seen this book was coming out I wanted to read it so that I could learn more about the artist and writer. Jarrett didn’t have what would be considered a normal upbringing but to him and his family it was by all accounts normal. It was all he or they knew.
As an adult I am able to relate to a lot of the issues and struggles mentioned within the pages of this book. I can relate to being raised by my grandparents. I can relate to them not always getting along and lots of arguing and fighting. I can relate to the alcohol abuse by one grandparent. Although. in my case it was my grandfather that did the drinking and my grandmother that did most of the yelling. I can relate to not having a mother or a father around. I can relate to having a mother being in and out of my life, but for different reasons then that of what Jarrett’s mother had gone through. I can relate to not knowing or meeting my father until I was well into my teenage years. I can relate to considering my grandparents were my only parents. I can relate to all of that and more within the pages of this book.
Jarrett might not have had the ideal childhood, but he did something that most people don’t. He didn’t let himself become a victim of circumstances and situation and he made the most out of what life had offered him. He proved to his grandparents that his true passion was in his art and they supported him attending art school. Through that support from his family he was able to make a name for himself. He was able to be someone. He was able to be better then his own mother and father.
I really enjoyed reading through this book. At many points it made me feel sad for him and what he’d been through. At other points it made me want to laugh and cry. Through his words and illustrations he was able to pull me into the story of his life. He was able to show me what he’d been through, what he’d overcome and what he was able to achieve.
I recommend this book for any child that is mature enough to handle the content and the language within it’s pages. There is so much that can be learned from within the pages of this book and it would be a crime to prevent children from reading it and seeing that they can become more, with the proper support and desire to be more then their circumstances.
As an adult I am able to relate to a lot of the issues and struggles mentioned within the pages of this book. I can relate to being raised by my grandparents. I can relate to them not always getting along and lots of arguing and fighting. I can relate to the alcohol abuse by one grandparent. Although. in my case it was my grandfather that did the drinking and my grandmother that did most of the yelling. I can relate to not having a mother or a father around. I can relate to having a mother being in and out of my life, but for different reasons then that of what Jarrett’s mother had gone through. I can relate to not knowing or meeting my father until I was well into my teenage years. I can relate to considering my grandparents were my only parents. I can relate to all of that and more within the pages of this book.
Jarrett might not have had the ideal childhood, but he did something that most people don’t. He didn’t let himself become a victim of circumstances and situation and he made the most out of what life had offered him. He proved to his grandparents that his true passion was in his art and they supported him attending art school. Through that support from his family he was able to make a name for himself. He was able to be someone. He was able to be better then his own mother and father.
I really enjoyed reading through this book. At many points it made me feel sad for him and what he’d been through. At other points it made me want to laugh and cry. Through his words and illustrations he was able to pull me into the story of his life. He was able to show me what he’d been through, what he’d overcome and what he was able to achieve.
I recommend this book for any child that is mature enough to handle the content and the language within it’s pages. There is so much that can be learned from within the pages of this book and it would be a crime to prevent children from reading it and seeing that they can become more, with the proper support and desire to be more then their circumstances.
alivaster's review
5.0
I've found a soft spot for graphic novels, and Hey Kiddo didn't disappoint. While not a lighthearted novel, it deals with a lot of heavy topics which aren't appropriate for younger audiences, it made an impact on me while reading it. While this novel can be seen as a darker novel - his mother is in an out of jail due to a heroine addiction and his father is out of the picture, it does have moments where there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Raised by his grandparents, he finds that their love and care really made a difference, even if it wasn't perfect. Really, you learn so much more about the author and what really makes him who he is today. I always find it hard to judge a memoir, but I found that this was still well-written and well-illustrated.
Overall, a good read!
Overall, a good read!
knkoch's review
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.
_reading_with_kate_'s review
The audiobook version made me cry more than the graphic novel did- am glad to have experienced them both.