Writing Style

• First-person past tense
• Narrator is satirical, emotional, determined, honest, witty.
• Illustrations every few pages, which compliment Arnold’s narration. Adds a visual component (often humorous) to the book which greatly helps the tone in achieving its lightheartedness, when dealing with tough issues of alcoholism, loneliness, and death.
• Narrator is very critical of himself, which helps the reader empathize with him and allows some leeway to poke fun at others without sounding condescending. With that said, he also takes pride in his accomplishments which is empowering to readers.
• Chapters are arranged in often-short sections that focus more on the significance of an event over chronology- a trait typical of nonfiction works.
• Some chapters are no more than a few pages, and lots of white space and illustrations makes reading a breeze and even more accessible for younger/less dedicated readers.
• Considerable amounts of dialogue over scene, but easy to read and always humorous.
• The language is occasionally crude, as the narrator explains Indians “love talking dirty.”
• Text is often set in large caps for emphasis, as well as italics.
• Easygoing prose is accessible to young audiences and adults alike.