Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton

 

I randomly found the ebook edition for Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton while searching Hoopla's comic offerings. The title and topic caught my attention right away. I have never had a parent incarcerated in prison. So, the thought of how an incarcerated parent stays in touch with their children (or vice versa) while serving time in prison never crossed my mind.

I wanted to learn more about this topic, so I decided to read Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton. I'm so glad that I did. I started and finished reading Dear Dad in one day as it is a quick read due to it being written in comic book form. Dear Dad is a work of nonfiction and also a memoir. 

Jay Jay Patton writes about life without having a father around for a number of years during her childhood due to the fact that her father was serving time in prison. They stayed in touch via letters. Jay Jay's father learns computer coding while in prison. Once released from prison, Jay Jay and her family move back in together with her father as a family unit. It's then Jay Jay's father begins to work as a computer coder. Jay Jay herself is smart in both math and science like her father. Jay Jay eventually learns coding herself from her father and the two of them create an app to help connect children with their incarcerated parents. This way, families can stay in touch will the parent is serving time in prison.

I like this book and how Jay Jay and her father stay connected while he was in prison through letter writing. I also liked how they bonded afterwards through computer coding when Jay Jay's father was released from prison. They used their computer coding skills to create an app to help others stay more easily connected when a parent (or parents) are in prison with their children. However, Dear Dad wasn't perfect. I felt like their was gaps in the timeframe or things that would have been relevant information to share about the Jay Jay's life. Plus, the artwork was good, but not great.

Below is the publisher's summary for Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton from the Goodreads website:

As far back as nine-year-old Jay Jay Patton can remember, her dad, Antoine, has been in prison. Growing up in Buffalo, New York with her mom and younger brother, she's only visited him twice. Instead the two have sent each other numerous letters. Jay Jay's letters can take weeks or months to reach her dad, and some never even get delivered. What's it going to be like having Dad home?

This powerful coming-of-age sequential-art memoir shows Jay Jay Patton's life of growing up with a dad in and out of prison. The experience led her and her dad to develop a powerful father-daughter bond and create Photo Patch, a life-changing application that connects children to incarcerated parents.

I am giving Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty

 

I listened to Caitlin Doughty's nonfiction book titled, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory back in 2023. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory as Caitlin Doughty recounts her journey as a mortician. I also enjoyed the fact that Caitlin Doughty narrated her book as well.

With that said, I wanted to read, or rather listen to in this case, another work of nonfiction written by Caitlin Doughty. So, I couldn't resist listening to Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death, which is also narrated by the author.

I don't know how Caitlin Doughty does it, but she makes learning unique facts about death fun! I learned a lot of new things about death that I didn't know before by listening to Caitlin Doughty answer 35 questions posed to her by youngsters. Each of the questions were for the most part unique and so were the answers given.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty is a quick read, which was right up my alley. I liked the bite sized chunks of information that were presented by the author. It made learning about death feel less morbid if that's possible.

Below is the publisher's summary for Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty from the Goodreads website:

Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. What would happen to an astronaut’s body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?

In the tradition of Randall Munroe’s What If ?, Doughty’s new book, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, blends her scientific understanding of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five urgent questions posed by her youngest fans. Readers will learn what happens if you die on an airplane, the best soil for mummifying your dog, and whether or not you can preserve your friend’s skull as a keepsake.

I am giving Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Atlanta "Library Dads" Build Community to Help Their Kids Fall In Love With Reading!

 

I loved watching this short, YouTube video about dads building a community to support each other in building strong readers and literacy in their children.

I come from a generation where the only time men helped with anything educational was when it came to math and science. Otherwise, it was always left up to the women to do these things.

I'm glad to see a shift in participation when it comes to men helping their children learn to read. 

Woodworking by Emily St. James

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Woodworking by Emily St. James and is very well narrated by several narrators.

Woodworking by Emily St. James is the April book selection for the Online Rainbow Book Club hosted by my public library. 

Woodworking by Emily St. James is an excellent novel and is my favorite book club selection for the Online Rainbow Book Club to date. 

Woodworking is a novel set in South Dakota in the year 2016. This novel touches upon so much - trans identity, friendship, politics, finding oneself, and coming of age are just a few of the topics that all come together in this novel. Also, as a back drop for Woodworking, the 2016 election is looming and we read how potential policies being proposed in this novel could effect the lives of trans people. Woodworking isn't really a political novel at all, but the topic of politics does come up in the novel as part of the storyline.

The primary focus of Woodworking is on the lives of three different trans women at different stages in their transition journey. All three women are at different stages in their journey and are different ages.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in Woodworking, especially Abigail Hawkes, a trans teen with a wicked sense of humor. The writing for Woodworking is excellent. There are so many layers to this novel that it is difficult to describe all of the nuances to give readers a sense of how wonderful written this novel really is. 

Plus, I don't want to give away too many details about the storyline/plot to spoil it for those whom want to read Woodworking. Suffice it to say, I truly enjoyed reading Woodworking!

At the end of the audiobook, Emily St. James mentions the website, Assigned Media, as a resource for transgender news. Click on the link to learn more about the latest transgender news.

Below is the publisher's summary for Woodworking by Emily St. James, which I discovered through the Goodreads website:

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves under the increasing scrutiny of their community, both women—and those closest to them—will come to realize that sometimes there is nothing more radical than letting the world see who you really are.

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.

I am giving Woodworking by Emily St. James a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

How Sacramento Public Library Is Handling Current Needs

 

I enjoy hearing about pretty much all library news. I found it interesting to watch the above, short video via YouTube on how the Sacramento Public Library System is meeting the needs of its patrons. 

I think it is cool that one can check out guitars and leaf blowers from the Sacramento Public Library System.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Really Liked, but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About - FREEBIE

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a random list of books I've read and reviewed here on my blog over the years

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

3. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5. I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith

6. Flight by Sherman Alexie

7. The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn

8. Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford

9. May Day by Jess Lourey

10. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Have you read any of the above books?

Iowa's State Capitol Law Library Is So Beautiful!

As a college graduate from the University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), I must admit that Iowa has a special place in my heart. 

I have not visited Iowa's State Capitol Law Library in Des Moines, Iowa, but after watching the above 2 minute video on YouTube, I would love to visit Iowa's State Capitol Law Library some day.

Iowa's State Capitol Law Library is even open to the public!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Happy Independent Bookstore Day!!