Reviewed by Angie Fisher for TeensReadToo.com
In an ideal world, teenagers aren't responsible for taking care of their parents.
Joseph doesn't live in an ideal world, though. As a matter of fact, he lives about as far from it as humanly possible.
Forced to change schools yet again due to the fact he and Mamma are living in a new shelter, Joseph isn't worried about fitting in as much as he's worried about the other students finding out that Mamma is an addict.
Desperate to keep family services from finding out about Mamma's lies, alcohol, and drug abuse, and worried about Daddy, who is away fighting in Iraq, there doesn't seem to be room for something as seemingly unimportant as the tennis team.
But Joseph wants to play, just like Daddy did.
JOSEPH is a story of love and loyalty, of hardship and determination, and of the cruel, ugly reality of addiction. It's also a story of will; the will to survive and the will to succeed, regardless of one's circumstances and background.
It's a story that every person, young or old, should read before they consider using their childhood as an excuse to be a victim.
In an ideal world, teenagers aren't responsible for taking care of their parents.
Joseph doesn't live in an ideal world, though. As a matter of fact, he lives about as far from it as humanly possible.
Forced to change schools yet again due to the fact he and Mamma are living in a new shelter, Joseph isn't worried about fitting in as much as he's worried about the other students finding out that Mamma is an addict.
Desperate to keep family services from finding out about Mamma's lies, alcohol, and drug abuse, and worried about Daddy, who is away fighting in Iraq, there doesn't seem to be room for something as seemingly unimportant as the tennis team.
But Joseph wants to play, just like Daddy did.
JOSEPH is a story of love and loyalty, of hardship and determination, and of the cruel, ugly reality of addiction. It's also a story of will; the will to survive and the will to succeed, regardless of one's circumstances and background.
It's a story that every person, young or old, should read before they consider using their childhood as an excuse to be a victim.
