When I tell you that I cried while reading the first page of “Just A Lawyer Drawing Sports Icons,” I swear I’m telling the absolute truth. Some might find it ridiculous because the first page I read was actually the dedication page, and it’s not that it was so dramatically written that reading it for its face value would elicit such a response.
The author of the book, Atty. Jovi Neri, is my tito (my dad’s youngest brother), and the dedication was to our family. I know and live the story behind those words. I have felt Mama’s support for creative endeavors, seen Papa’s dedication to work, laughed at my Dad’s “Juan Tamad” stories, know how doting my titos can be, and hold vivid childhood memories of the cousins bursting into Tito Jovi’s room to ask if we could watch “Teen Titans” and read superhero comics.
If you only knew the story behind the line about how Tito Jed taught us all a lesson in mortality—that the grief from it was something our family leaned on each other to grow around—then you’ll understand why something as simple as a couple of lines of dedication moved me to tears.
During the book launch, Atty. Jovi Neri gave a speech. One of the most memorable things he said was, “My drawing skills are not mine. They’re from God, and God never took that away from me. So my art—my book—comes from a place of joy. It comes from a place of gratitude. For me, what is disguised as my book is actually a big thank you gift to God, to my family, to my friends, and to the world for all the blessings I’ve had in this beautiful life.”
These blessings were what he wanted to share. It was a personal touch that helped us understand where the book was coming from. Moments like these are why stories are important because they give context. And things are made so much more meaningful with that context.
The narrative of “Just A Lawyer Drawing Sports Icons” is a simple story to follow as it takes you through a journey with the author from when he was a little boy who doodled superheroes and the events that led him to become the lawyer-artist he is today, known for his mixed-media style of illustrating sports icons. Through the book, you’ll come to understand the history behind his work and how his relationship with art evolved as he navigated through his own life’s adventures.
On the surface, people may not see him as very emotionally expressive—though that might have changed a little since he married his wife, Crystal. The tito I have always known is very unique in how he expresses himself. It was when I got older that I realized that he shows his affection through art.
If art is his way of expressing love, then this book would have been a sort of “love letter,” too. And, although he has named numerous people in his dedication and acknowledgments, we all know to whom this greatest love letter of his is addressed. The art, the pictures, the poster pull-outs—these were thoughtfully included for the rest of us to enjoy. But looking at the bigger picture and the intention behind the words, it is clear that the book is a gesture and letter of love from my Tito Jovi written to his son, Jax.
“Just A Lawyer Drawing Sports Icons” is not just about a lawyer who draws sports icons. It’s a very personal letter accounting memories of a father’s life that he wants to share with his son—all immortalized in a book.
Perhaps one day, when Jax has his own sudden-awareness-of-someone-familiar moment, he won’t ever feel that “stranger phenomenon” kick in because he can just pick up the book and rediscover who his dad is, written in his own words.
A big congratulations go out to Atty. Jovi Neri for publishing his book and a successful book launch at the Tubo Art Fair!
Also, it’s his birthday today, so this write-up is my little present for him. I guess it runs in the family. Happy birthday, Tito Jovi!