Jack Gantos is the narrator; in his memoir, his age spans from his late teens to early twenties. He comes from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, but also lives for a brief moment in Puerto Rico and St. Croix with his family: his father, mother, younger sister and brother. Gantos introduces himself through his photo during his incarceration for smuggling hash from St. Croix to New York City. He describes his shaggy sideburns, greasy hair and skin, and his acne. He also refers to himself as small, but clever, noting that it is this quality that keeps him safe in prison, while being able to observe the characters and brutality around him.

HIs primary goal from the beginning of the story is to become a writer. He spends much of the novel reading, alluding to famous writers and visiting various places where authors like Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway lived. Although his dream is to write great novels like his literary heroes, Gantos feels the main thing holding him back from this is a lack of great things to write about. Therefore, he seeks this experience in various ways: braving a hurricane warning, entering the black nationalists’ headquarters in St.