I’ve been meaning to share this book for a while now. It is a memoir. And a wonderfully honest and interesting one at that. It is the story of Chris Black, otherwise known and loved as Poppy.

So naturally, these are The Poppy Papers.

For the cover we played off the “papers” title and used part of the text for the spine detail.

What I love most about this story is how real it is. There is no sugar coating and making life seem like it was 100% perfect, or that no bad thing was Poppy’s fault. Instead, it is engaging because it is so real. Poppy talks about hopping from job to job (it is possible he had 25+ jobs in his life, I lost count…), relationship struggles, and reinventing himself. He also recounts incredible adventures - living in France making money as a juggler, living out of a jeep all summer in Alaska (with his wife and daughter!) selling necklaces at craft fairs. And he offers his philosophy on life and views of the world (”If it sounds like I am not a big fan of government, I’m not.”) It is truly a great read.

If you have a parent or grandparent who has yet to write their own story down, perhaps now is the time to suggest it. They might not think there’s much to say, but there always is!

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