Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction

I never like to rate a personal story any less than five stars, everyone has a story and sharing that story for other people to relate to and to feel seen and understood, is incredible.

We follow Ja as he grows up within a dysfunctional but loving family, we follow him as he learns about his mothers drug addiction and tries to find his way in the world. I would have loved to have had a bit more detail and depth with the addiction but it is not my story to tell.

The artwork was great and I love how this graphic novel is one of the outcomes of his story. He followed his passion for art and drawing and now people all over the world can enjoy it too.

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mandi4886's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

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aus10england's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

A wonderfully inspiring story about growing up with a less than normal childhood. The author tells the story about how addiction was apart of their family through illustrations that really set the tone for the whole book. I also found the pacing really well done. I feel like I know the author so much better, and am happy to have picked this up on a whim!

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temporarilyhuman's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

The author's note at the end is a must read. There more than anywhere else in the book we see the author's growth and understanding, especially in regards to his mother.

The inclusion of photos of actual letter and drawings gives this book a little something extra that helps it hit home. I think it was a very good choice to include them.

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katiebowers's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

As with most addiction narratives, this one is rough. Hey Kiddo tells the story of Jarrett's life growing up with (but mostly without) his mother who is addicted to heroin. The art style is muted watercolors and, I think, achieves the author's goal of making it look like a memory. It's a tough read, but compelling in the way that the story is told all the way through from a child's perspective - when Jarrett's a toddler, little is revealed about the details of what's wrong, and the reader learns the family secrets with Jarrett as he grows up. I imagine this is an important and meaningful book for kids with similar stories.

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pockymonster_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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ellav's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book was so inspiring, and it was just an awesome story of a person struggling with family addiction. I loved the story of how he became what he wanted to be despite his terrible family situation. I think this book is a must read for anyone struggling with addiction, or who has experienced others with the same problem. It will definitely change the way you look at things.

I loved the illustrations, because they worked so well for the concept of the book and the chapter headers we so cool. It was such a wonderful idea to include personal letters and pictures, because it made the experience seem even more intimate and real. Also, the pineapple wallpaper was just such a great touch 😊

This book broke that cliche of the traditional happy family. It showed real life with people that had real problems. This is a book I would recommend to anyone, because people need to see this.

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