Living with Jackie Chan

This young adult novel follows Josh, a teenager reeling from the consequences of fathering a baby, as he moves to a new town to live with his unique, karate-obsessed uncle, Larry. The story delves deep into Josh's internal struggle with guilt, shame, and self-blame, exploring his journey to come to terms with his past actions and ultimately find forgiveness. Through new friendships, particularly with Stella and their shared love for karate, Josh begins to navigate his complex emotions and rebuild his sense of self. It is a companion novel to "Jumping Off Swings," offering Josh's perspective on the aftermath of a teen pregnancy.

After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive. This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with his Jackie-Chan-obsessed uncle, Larry, and trying to forget. But Josh can’t forget. So many things bring back memories of last year and the night that changed everything. Every day the pain, the shame, and the just not knowing are never far from his thoughts. Why is he such a loser? How could he have done what he did? He finds some moments of peace when he practices karate with Stella, the girl upstairs and his one real friend. As they move together through the katas, Josh feels connected in a way he has never felt before. He wonders if they could be more than friends, but Stella’s jealous boyfriend will make sure that doesn’t happen. And maybe it doesn’t matter. If Stella knew the truth, would she still think he was a True Karate Man? Readers first met Josh in Jumping Off Swings which told the story of four high school students and how one pregnancy changed all of their lives. In thiscompanion book, they follow Josh as he tries to come to terms with what happened, and find a way to forgive.