An important graphic novel memoir that was a US National
Book Award Finalist.
In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw
his family, with a mommy and a daddy.
But Jarrett's family is much more complicated
than that.
His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and
in and out of Jarrett's life.
His father is a mystery - Jarrett doesn't know
where to find him, or even what his name is.
Jarrett lives with his grandparents - two very
loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they
were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.
Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal
life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through
drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's
going on.
Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together
the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and
tracking down his father.
Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir
about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and
finding the art that helps you survive.
Jarrett's TEDTalk about growing up and becoming
a children's book illustrator, How A Boy Became
an Artist, has over a million views
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