Writing about various episodes in his youth, including peer harassment, family craziness and his relationship with his trumpet, Poole concocts a fairly entertaining read. A competent writer, he was able to conjure up humor in almost every sentence, yet so many punchy lines made it seem facetious. The best humor for me is when truth is revealed, not covered up and twisted into something goofy. I didn't know what to believe. I felt like I didn't get the whole picture and it didn't feel like memoir writing. Some parts even seemed mean-spirited. I would've liked to read more about his life as a budding trumpeter, which he presents as the only area where he had success and confidence. He makes light of it. I would've like to read how much he gained from it and from playing solos in band, instead he uses the word magical a lot. Mainly, the reason I only gave it two stars is that it never made me laugh out loud.