Joey and His Father

Remember the book Ramona and Her Father? I love Ramona. Ramona's dad is a bit different from Joey's dad, however, they both are trying to quit smoking.

The second book in the Joey Pigza series, Joey Pigza Loses Control is a wonderful book, but it is also a sad book. It is a funny book. But it is also really frustrating to read. But in a good way, I the book is wonderfully well written, of course and Joey is lovable, as always, but he's going through a tough, tough time. Joey's dad, Carter, has "turned his life around" and gone to court, seeking time with Joey. Against her gut feeling, Joey's mom agrees that Joey can spend six weeks of summer vacation with Carter and his mom. Joey's dad is just like Joey, wired, but Joey's dad doesn't seem to realize, unlike Joey, that he needs help. The love that Joey feels for both of his parents and his wacky grandma is so palpable, and his conflicted feelings made me squirm for him, because Joey is such a terrific kid. I love this series. Jack Gantos is a master. I read part of it and listened to part of it. The audio CD is great because Mr. Gantos himself does the reading.

I read this book years ago, but this time it was a little different for me. Joey's grandma is very ill with emphysema due to smoking...a lot. When I read this the first time, I was a serious smoker. I was two packs a day and completely in love with smoking. It had a huge hold on me. In some ways, it ran a huge part of my life. It was horrible. I tell everyone now to never smoke, don't. I'm not a drug user and I don't even drink, so I don't know about other drugs and the way they make you feel. I do remember in A Plague Year, students who saw lives ruined by meth said "Not Even Once" because it is said that once you try meth you get hooked right away. I find that cigarettes aren't really like that. Most people start smoking like I did, wanting to be cool, wanting to look older, wanting to fit in with a different crowd. The thing about cigarettes is, the first time you try one, you sort of want to throw up. They taste so darn bad. They make you cough like crazy. But you just keep smoking because for some crazy reason, you want to look older, look cooler, fit in. How foolish. But by then, once your poor little lungs are hardened up to the smoke, you are hooked. I have been tobacco-free since May 3, 2010 and I can't tell you the freedom that I found. I feel better, I smell better, I just, simply, live better. I wish I could talk to Joey's grandma.