Jubilee City: A Memoir at Full Speed

by Joe Andoe

Book Overview

A life story told in discrete, arresting snapshots of despair, resilience, creativity, and hope, Joe Andoe's literary portrait of his time to date on earth is as powerful as a heavyweight's hook and as spellbinding as a major crack-up on the opposite side of the highway. It is a testament to a young man's fortitude and genius and luck that enabled him to survive a life lived wildly out of control; a rocket ride from the sordid depths of self-destruction...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006124032X
• ISBN13: 9780061240324
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Inmate Inspiration

My son is incarcerated and I sent this book to his cell mate who is an aspiring artist. He loved it. He has talent and someday, maybe, we will all be buying JP Kennedy's! Thank for sharing the story-you never know who'll you will be inspiring to stay straight and focused.

Soul of an artist

Reading Joe Andoe's memoir is like walking through a collection of his paintings. Sublime, sensual and haunting. His words reach right into your soul as do his paintings.Unlocking ghosts of distant memories.For anyone who has lived outside the box ,or for that matter looked inside and not quite know how to fit in there is comfort in knowing you are not alone. Loved it.

Mischief, Art & Redemption

So, world-renowned (and successful--which isn't so easy to pull off) artist Joe Andoe has written his memoir. Why do you care? Because Joe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma - an unlikely breeding ground for an artist. Because Joe grew up misbehaving in all sorts of ways, had more close calls with the law and death than he can count, until he finally moved to New York City to make his name and to find his fame. Joe's voice, as a writer, is like an undertow -- before you know it, you're miles off shore, completely sucked into his world of all-encompassing love (for his children, his painting) and lust (for women, alcohol), as he paints and parents his way to recovery and redemption. The life presented here is one lived on Joe's terms, with sparkling moments of bigheartedness, crazy humor, and poignant regret. I was entranced by his bad boy youth in Oklahoma, full of muscle cars and dewy teenage girls, the insider details of the world of art galleries and agents, and most of all by how he sorted out all his inner demons and rebuilt connections with his family, friends, children.

Poignant, Hilarious, Fresh, Poetic.....

JUBILEE CITY is one of the most moving and unusual memoirs I've ever read. It's snapshots from an artist's life that are often funny and heartbreaking all at once. They are always moving, and often universal experiences. Andoe has a fresh and unique way of expressing himself. I loved this book and found myself reading stories from it over and over again.

Breath...

It starts out simple- like some Little Rascals' hold over- HILARIOUS. But then all of a sudden the story takes a turn and the mood plummets; there's a true depth of feeling that Joe takes with this book because there are really funny and amusing ups but when he can hit those low gritty notes too- it makes you wonder if I should have been getting drunk and stoned and driving really fast down back roads to old strip mines and skinny dipping with drunk girls with sun bleached denim cut-offs and collecting on some of those 'life stories' ... rather than going to those writing workshops. True feeling: look out for the story BABY NEEDS SHOES- and once you read past that chapter you'll see the book is like a really good Fellini film where your favorite characters are both honestly terrible and deceptively holy- they can be the worst people you could imagine and yet! they're so animated and they're so believable- everyone's really good and everyone's really hungry at the same time. It's a really tight read and I finished it in one day.