Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost my Mother, Found my Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction

 1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krosoczka, Jarret. J. 2018. Hey, kiddo: How I lost my mother, found my father, and dealt with family addiction. New York, NY: Graphix. ISBN: 9780545902472

2.      PLOT SUMMARY

Jarret Krosoczka shares the story of his complicated childhood up until the point of his graduation. The book began with his grandparent’s love story and it continued into his mother’s childhood. His dad was not in his life. He actually had a girlfriend when he was with his mom. Krosoczka lived with his mom for 3 years before his grandparents got custody of him. His mom had been in and out of jail and was struggling with heroin addiction. He spent long periods of time without seeing her, but meanwhile, he went to school and exchanged letters with his mom. There were glimpses of alcohol addiction found in his grandparents at times, but they always cared for him well. Soon his aunt had a baby and moved out too. He made a best friend named Pat when a new boy moved in next door. He always loved art, but decided to become an author/illustrator after an author’s visit to his school. He worked really hard on his art and made progress with classes at school and at the art museum. Krosoczka’s mom missed a lot of big events, but his family was always there to support him. He went to high school and worked for the paper. His father reached out to him in high school and he only responded out of a curiosity to see if he had siblings. He did have them and he was able to visit them and his dad in the end. Right before his graduation which is where the memoir ends.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The accuracy of a memoir is difficult to verify. The people used as sources are close to the author’s life and there aren’t formal interviews or articles to reference. Thankfully Krosoczka included artifacts from his own life that give intimate details about what he was going through. He spoke to multiple people and he tried to ensure that he remembered things correctly. He chose to tell the story in the order that it happened beginning with his grandparents and going up until he graduated from high school. Krosoczka was able to be honest but loving. He told the truth about his childhood, but ensured he made the people in his life real. He showed their ups and downs. There wasn’t a bibliography, but he mentioned all the people he spoke to and he updated the lives of the people that he brought up. Krosoczka interspersed artifacts throughout and separated the work into chapters depicting important moments of his childhood. The graphic novel design attracts readers of all ages. The text is very conversational and the illustrations were explained by Krosoczka himself. He talked about keeping the palate simple. He used muted burnt orange in honor of a pocket square he kept from his grandpa and he chose to not outline the panels to make it all seem like more of a dream or a memory. It was beautifully done, and the moments of action and movement were really felt through the linework. The nightmares were dark and creepy with parts of monsters from unique perspectives. It was a nice touch

 

4.      REVIEW EXCERPTS

Starred review in Booklist: “There have been a slew of graphic memoirs published for youth in the past couple of years, but the raw, confessional quality and unguarded honesty of Krosoczka’s contribution sets it apart from the crowd.”

Starred review in Kirkus Reviews: “Krosoczka as an author generously and lovingly shows his flawed family members striving to do the best they can even as Krosoczka the character clearly aches for more. Honest, important, and timely.”

Starred review in Publishers Weekly: “This nuanced graphic memoir portrays a whole family and tells a story of finding identity among a life's complications.”

Starred review in School Library Journal: “The visuals beautifully re-create his early memories, with fluid lines depicting the figures and hand-painted washes of gray with burnt orange highlights in the backgrounds... A compelling, sometimes raw look at how addiction can affect families. A must-have, this book will empower readers, especially those who feel alone in difficult situations.”

Starred review in Horn Book Magazine: “A limited palette of gray and orange washes positions the story in the past, as memory. Krosoczka has meticulously crafted an uncompromisingly honest portrayal of addiction, resilient familial love, and the power of art, dedicated in part to “every reader who recognizes this experience.”

Reviewed in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Starred review in Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

ALA Notable Children’s Books

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Nominees

 

5.      CONNECTIONS

*Invite students to write a letter to Krosoczka asking him a question they still have about his life or sharing a part of his life they related to or enjoyed hearing about.

*Invite students to share an activity or hobby that they enjoy and to do some research on opportunities to learn more about this activity or hobby in the community or online.

*Other books written and illustrated by Jarrett Krosoczka:

Krosoczka, Jarrett. Sunshine: How one camp taught me about life, death, and hope. ISBN: 9781338356311

Krosoczka, Jarrett. Lunch lady and the cyborg substitute (Lunch Lady, Book 1) [All the Lunch Lady series]. ISBN: 9780375846830

Krosoczka, Jarrett. A new class (Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Book 4) [Some other Star Wars: Jedi Academy books in the series]. ISBN: 9780545875738