Smoke Rings Rising: Triumph of a Drug-Endangered Daughter

by Jennifer L. Hunt

JENNY, 16, WISHED SHE HADN'T FOUND IT. Bobbi's monthly list of bills, scrawled on an Aid to Families with Dependent Children stipend envelope, was tucked beneath an ashtray holding a half-smoked joint and smashed cigarette butts. "Mary Jane...rent...PG&E...groceries." As always, Jenny's mom's weed connection topped the list while food sat at the bottom.

Residing in rural Concow, California, in the 1980s, Jenny is accustomed to pot being the priority within her household and the necessities that most people take for granted not; however, the newfound methamphetamine is unsettling. A spoon on her dresser, a syringe in the bathroom medicine cabinet, tweakers in the attic! Jenny isn't sure she can endure two long years 'til she'll graduate from Oroville High and be out on her own. When Bobbi, jonesing, delivers her very own death blow, Jenny can't wait. Halfway through her sophomore year, she leaves home for good, oblivious that what lies ahead--teenage motherhood with no one to count on--will be so harrowing. How can she build a life for herself and son, and will it ever be normal?

When Bobbi dies of an overdose in 2007, her urgent last request begins chasing Jenny, now in her mid-thirties. Facing heart-rending struggles, in Smoke Rings Rising the once drug-endangered daughter lays out with grit and grace how she turns haunting truths into inspiring triumph. In doing so, Jenny finds the true meaning of love, living, forgiving, and letting go.

300 pages, Paperback

Published January 25, 2019

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this book is very captivating and really relatable. It's a great story of how we can overcome our challenges in life, and our upbringing doesn't have to dictate what our lives will become as adults. We can be more than what our environment around us might be.

[Jamie Painter]

I am currently reading this, and I am really enjoying it!! It's interesting and a very good read so far!!

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story of overcoming adversity. However, I did feel that the story didn't flow easily. Could have used a little more editing polish.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is gritty, real, and let's you in on the authors thoughts. It is a story about a girl who fought all the odds and somehow came out alive on the other side. It's about addiction. The disease that kills so many. Take the time to read it. You won't be sorry. Good job Jenn!

[Alexia Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this inspiring autobiography. It maintained a very smooth read. I am still in awe, this book is definitely a page turner! Jennifer did a remarkable job portraying such a heartening narrative.

[Kathy Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.
Thank you to everyone involved. This was a
Very inspiring book.

[Donna R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Jennifer’s story. To me the beginning parts of childhood were a little slow to read, but it was necessary for her to explain it to really grasp the rest of her story throughout the book. We all have hardships in life and this book really puts things in perspective that you can overcome the hardships no matter what hand you are dealt. I also thought it was especially nice that the writer decided to write the book as a way to cope, and was very open about painful events and how she dealt with them. Very inspiring, moving, relatable in ways, and easy to read and understand. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the entire book but it was very hard to get through. I didn't feel a connection to the characters at all because the book was so scatterbrained. The last section was much more consistent and made for faster reading. It just wasn't my type of book.

[Ann Dickinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are much better books than this one.