Jay Nordlinger's Chapter Summary

Quite often in this nonfiction work, the author, Jay Nordlinger breaks away from the formal format that nonfiction works tend to take and offers a brief paragraph or two to clear the readers’ minds. In the midst of facts and figures of different dictators and children, Nordlinger addresses his audience, explains his writing methods and offers guidance. In these passages, Nordlinger breaks away from the chains of formal language and uses personal pronouns. For instance in Mao’s chapter, he states, “I will now present to you a blizzard of names, and those names tend to be tricky to the Western eye” (Nordlinger 66). The author understands that loads of information can be overpowering and encourages the reader by acknowledging this fact. By mentally preparing readers for impact, the readers are better able to follow the storylines of many different children. In this particular quote, Nordlinger is directly speaking to his Western audience by assuring them that it is natural for the unfamiliar names to be difficult to read and pronounce. The use of the pronoun, I allows for Nordlinger to establish his control over the upcoming situation. Nordlinger applies this effective

He begins by listing the number of children the dictator had, then expands on the dictator’s affairs and marriages. After that he explains the dictator’s background and moves through each child, (in most cases) chronologically from birth. This setup allows me to keep track of the unfamiliar names and their similar stories. It also gives me an expectation of what information I am going to learn as I go into each chapter. On the other hand, this format can get boring and repetitive. At times it feels as if I am reading the same concept over and over. Nordlinger does his best to combat this potential boredom with his own commentaries and insightful