Posts
Jarrett J. Krosoczka is an author and illustrator of 50 books for young readers.
Before I became a graphic novelist, I was a kid in Worcester, the son of a mother who struggled with a heroin addiction. With my mother incarcerated in Framingham State Prison and my father not in the picture, my maternal grandparents gained legal custody of me just before my third birthday.
Despite having such an ominous origin, I was able to rise above my situation and carve out a career in literature.
How was I able to push past the circumstances handed to me? How did I gain such resilience?
My grandfather, a World War II veteran, read to me every night. He drove me to the Worcester Public Library, where I was issued my first library card. I benefited from the resources granted to me in the Worcester Public Schools. My grandfather instilled in me the idea that with education and knowledge, anything is possible.
Despite my grandparents’ care, my childhood was turbulent, and I took refuge in books. I distilled my adverse childhood experiences in my graphic memoir “Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction.” I did not sugarcoat my life experiences, because young adult readers whose lives mirror my own deserve such honesty.
As a kid, I held such shame in my mother’s opioid-use disorder and the fact that my grandparents were raising me. I thought I was the only kid in the world dealing with such circumstances. Through my work, I strive to help young readers avoid feeling such stigma and isolation.
I was grateful that “Hey, Kiddo” became a finalist for the National Book Award in 2018 and hoped that recognition might bring it to the attention of even more young readers who could see their own experiences reflected on the page. Yet the awards nod hasn’t been enough to shield the book from being banned or challenged in many communities because of its contents. When states decide that topics in books are inappropriate, they are telling readers that their lived experiences are inappropriate. Young people should not feel ashamed of their truths.
I sometimes think about what could happen if “Hey, Kiddo” were banned here in Massachusetts. According to a 2022 study conducted by the UMass Chan Medical School, more than 31,000 grandparents in the state are raising their grandchildren. Those young people deserve to know that they are not alone and that there is hope for their futures.
Worries about books being banned in Massachusetts isn’t far-fetched. While most headlines focus on bans in Republican-led states such as Florida and Iowa, close to 70 books were challenged in Massachusetts schools over a five-year period, according to a 2024 Boston Globe report.
That’s why it’s crucial that Massachusetts lawmakers set clear statewide standards that public schools and libraries must follow when reviewing any book that is called into question, ensuring that readers have access to as many books as possible. Legislation that does exactly this, An Act Regarding Free Expression, passed in the Massachusetts Senate in November and awaits a vote by the House of Representatives.
There are topics in literature that some might find difficult or uncomfortable, but those realities exist in the lives of some readers. Books provide a safe space to encounter and navigate such harsh truths — and they allow readers to feel seen. And readers whose lives remain untouched by such hardships are given a window that fosters empathy and understanding for others.
Books save lives, and that is not hyperbole.
Studies have connected the psychological damage of loneliness with suicidal ideation and shown how books make young people feel less alone.
I also frequently receive messages from readers about what books can do. Here’s a snippet from one of them:
“I first read ‘Hey, Kiddo’ when I was 14, and I cried so many times. . . . Your book offers me comfort now, almost two years later. It offers me comfort in a way that I can remember it’s okay to be sad — you just shouldn’t suffer alone. You were a huge part of my recovery. . . . Thank you for writing ‘Hey, Kiddo,’ because without it, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
Lawmakers should uphold the state’s long legacy of championing freedom of speech by passing this bill.
two teabags of black tea and one teabag of cherry steeped for 5 minutes. Add milk and honey!