Amazing stories of Paulsen's gritty childhood. As a neglected child he learned a great deal of useful survival skills and was forced to navigate life's challenges on his own. The stories are captivating and harrowing.

While I appreciate the artistic choice to refer to himself as "the boy" or "he," this aesthetic tool leads to confusion. I had to re-read multiple sections to parse out which character did what. Further, the text, in general, would benefit from a few more revision rounds. While some chapters are more refined, others read like first drafts. The language is rough, at times repetitive. Perhaps it's a style choice to reference the thoughts and expressions of a young boy in this manner, and at times it works, but mostly I found myself stumbling through the words without really enjoying the language.

If you read for the masterful way sentences are crafted, you will likely be disappointed here. But, if you want an amazing individual to storytell gripping true adventures of his youth and rite of passage into adulthood, I definitely recommend this book.

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.