Hey, Kiddo

Hey, Kiddo

YA memoir
Jarrett J. Krosoczka's graphic novel memoir, Hey, Kiddo, is
simply one of the best literary marriages of form and function that I
have ever seen. It's an exemplar of show, don't tell. Evocative
pictures and sparse text convey much more nuance than either alone
would. An unusual palette of greys and browns creates backgrounds
that do not detract from the facial expressions of the characters.
Krosoczka's life did not get off to a propitious start. He was
born out of wedlock to a mom who didn't make responsible decisions.
(His dad was not in the picture.) In fact her choices were so poor his
grandparents were able to get custody and raise him. At one point,
after a Disney vacation, they told him his mom was a drug addict in
prison.
Krosoczka was careful to keep his home life separate from his
school life, embarassed at not having the normal family life he was
sure his classmates did. His book will be an affirmation of not
aloneness for so many kids growing up whose lives don't match what
they see on television shows and social media. For this reason it's a
must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, Friday was the bitter two month anniversary of
the day I saw the life light fade from Joey cat's loving amber eyes
and felt him stop breathing and watched Eugene bury him near a
sheltering tree under a cotton candy pink sunset. But some good
things did happen to somewhat assuage the brokenness I was carrying
around inside of me. I cashed in more cans and bottles for my
emergency fund. I found an anthology of indiginous literature from
Maine that I'd been trying to locate at the library. The call came
out for proposals for the international conference I'll be going to in
March. I am going to try to do a poster presentation there about the
unique partnership UMaine Dining Services has with Black Bear
Exchange. I was one of the volunteers who processed this week's
Dining Services contributions (put them in smaller containers) for
BBE. That was over 400 pounds of really good food. I got some really
nice photographs of red leafed bushes and fall flowers. And a person
in a dinosaur costume gave me a free shirt that makes a great night
shirt. I had someone take my picture with the dino so people wouldn't
ascribe that encounter to my imagination.
Great big shout outs go out to Dining Services, the other volunteers
who processed the food, the shirt giver in the dino costume, and the
best little cat in the world who is gone but very much not forgotten.
Also to you, my dear readers, with best wishes for an awesome
Indiginous People's Day.
jules hathaway


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