Overview

Joe spent most of his time at the bar, where they knew him as ""Gemini Joe,"" a charismatic, funny man who was the life of any party, but his family didn't see this side of him at home. A bottle of scotch on the table was all it took to set him off, causing his children to hide at the top of the stairs, listening and waiting for the fighting to stop. At times, his creative side came out in the form of poetry, drawings, and inventions, including the first design for a toothpaste cap that stayed on the tube. Tragically, he was never to achieve success. The struggle with alcohol caused Joe to walk away from his wife and children. Estranged from his oldest daughter, years passed until he wrote her a letter. It included a poem that he had written which triggered her curiosity. She didn't know much about his childhood and asked him to tell her his story. My earliest memory of my father was at a family wedding when I was four years old. I could still see my mother smiling and dancing, happy to be with her family. My father sat at a table, glaring as she glided across the dance floor. He drank one scotch on the rocks after another until jealousy took hold of him, and his rage cut the evening short. I wanted to love him but found it difficult to please him. I wanted to please him but knew it was impossible. When he divorced my mother, I felt obligated to cut him out of my life out of loyalty to her. Until one day, I received a letter along with a poem. I didn't know this side of my father. Impressed by his words, I asked him to tell me about his childhood. As I collected the missing pieces of his life, I had an opportunity to understand the true nature of the man buried deep beneath the alcoholic.

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Reviews

I had the pleasure of meeting Janet in person and got the book directly from her. I picked it up on a Sunday afternoon and curled up on the couch thinking I'd start reading it before I had to begin preparing supper. Three hours flew by and I was more than halfway through the book. I had a hard time putting it down and after I ate, I picked it right back up again and finished it that evening. This book is a journey of Janet's father's life and it was so interesting. It was funny, poignant, tragic, and heartwarming. So many emotions I felt while reading it and I even cried a bit at the end. What I came away with is that while our parents may not be perfect, they do try their best. While this book is truly entertaining, I also know it will help a lot of people heal from past wounds caused by family struggles and conflicts. I think it may even open the lines of communication between family members that have stopped talking long ago. I highly recommend this book as an enjoyable read but an introspective one as well. Lastly, her father's poetry is beautiful. The insight he had with only a 6th-grade education is amazing. Like Janet, Gemini Joe was a man of many talents. I can't wait to read her next book.

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