Gemini Joe

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. Years passed until he wrote his estranged daughter 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.
A very emotional story that will bring tears to the reader's eyes and occasional laughter. The way Joe reconnects with his daughter is beautiful, and rediscovering her real father seems to have been a beautiful journey in itself. The story is told from the perspective of Gemini Joe, a man with sensitivity, a party man who'd always succeeded in making people laugh and have a good time but who was never easy to deal with at home. I also enjoyed the moving, very inspiring poems that open the chapters, poems by the protagonist. This is a story that compels me to revisit my story with my own father. My relationship with my father has never been a great one, and after reading this book, I begin to wonder if he's been deeply hurt as well. Janet Sierzant tells a story of hurt, addiction, and redemption and makes readers understand that those who hurt others are themselves hurting deeply and that behind the ugliness; we may notice in some people that there is a wellspring of beauty waiting to burst forth. At times, it needs only a little attention to draw from that wellspring. This memoir is deeply human and intensely satisfying.
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