Jefferson County Library: Hey, Kiddo By Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Press release from the Jefferson County Library:

Jason P.

October 11, 2021

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka-314 pages

Krosoczka was the closing keynote speaker at the MLA Annual Conference that I recently had the pleasure of attending. I enjoyed hearing from him and seeing him draw. This book about his early life and upbringing was discussed heavily. I saw it on the shelf and decided to read it for this month's blog challenge. Krosoczka had a difficult childhood/upbringing. His mother was addicted to heroin and his father wasn't in the picture at all and wanted nothing to do with him. He was raised by his grandparents, Joe and Shirley, who he came to view as his parents. He loved his mother and had a relationship with her as best as he could in the circumstances. This graphic memoir/biography details his life up through high school graduation. He meets his biological father for the first time at age 17 and finds out he has a half brother and sister. This is a good read that is at times heartbreaking. His grandparents' personalities really stand out in this story. It is a story about family and what that means. Not everyone has a mother and father raising them.

This press release was produced by the Jefferson County Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.