Becoming the Blues: A Family Memoir

In a charming seaside town, a little boy with a flair for adventure and a talent for earning accolades believed success was his birthright. After all, he had pulled the biggest fish out of the lake at age five and skated to acclaim in ice hockey soon after. An intense and charismatic youth, Joshua Adonis Barber brought complete passion to everything he did. When he traded in hockey pucks for guitar picks, another field of dreams opened before him. His gifts for writing lyrics, meeting blues legends, and performing scorching sets brought him distinction throughout Rhode Island. When Josh was in his late twenties, however, a perfect storm of disappointment, social media, and despair plunged Josh and his family into nightmarish cycles of mental health treatments and recoveries. In Becoming the Blues, Josh's parents and sister follow him through both heartbreaking and heartwarming times. They share their true story with simple and forthright honesty with the goal of bringing hope and healing to others.