Leave Out the Tragic Parts
A Grandfather's Search for a Boy Lost to Addiction

4.5 stars Dave Kindred, who worked as a sports reporter, wrote this book about the death of his grandson. It is a memoir about addiction, the stories we tell ourselves, the stories others tell us, the stories we choose to believe and grief. In his Author's note he writes "I have never written anythin......more

4.5 stars This challenged some of my stereotypes about young people on the road. I generally assume that people who abuse drugs and/or alcohol are self-medicating for something—often things like depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD. I also assume kids on the road are running away from some type of p......more

Ok, I want to say something that rarely gets told to others. This book hit home to me in many ways. Growing up alcohol was an extension of the men in my family’s hands. Always drinking and getting drunk. Some were nice drunks, some were mean but as I grew up, I swore I would never ever let that happ......more

I am not sure what I expected from this book but it was a heartfelt read about a grandfather trying to connect to a wayward grandson. Overall, it was an honest and emotional journey. The book as a whole felt like a pursuit of closure for the author in the hopes of further understanding his grandson......more

This book was an amazing story of a grandfather’s extraordinary investigation after the death of his grandson. Kindred dug deep to try and understand his grandson’s choice of lifestyle. How and why did this happen. Jared left home at 18 and lived on the streets and traveled the world via trains. Kno......more