Among the Crowd

Last week I started to read a book called Among the Thugs written by Bill Buford. To be sincer the first couple of pages I was totally lost. I had no idea what I was reading. Continuously I said in my head “why am I reading this? Why?” When I reached the second chapter everything changed.

Now, I don’t want to stop reading. Every page I read is even funnier than the previous one. Buford has a unique form of writing. Referring to my previous book, I found examples of fallacies, humor, and modes of rhetoric. He uses tautology when he is referring to Mick’s stomach “… stomach was large, and his stomach was very, very large” (28). The way he repeats the word “very” and “large” makes me imagine the stomach of this gigantic man.

To be honest, if I ever meet Mick I would panic. The way he describes this man as being part of the “tourist trash” freaks me out (34). He used the perfect word to describe this group of people as the ones that take pictures with every single thing during their trip. The first thing that came into my mind when reading this was the typical Colombian tourists that go to Cartagena for the first time, and they are wearing sandals with socks, here there is facetous humor is present, if you didn’t notice. The only difference here is that the ones Buford refers to are Europeans. The fact of being “Europeans” makes me imagine them different, but at the end they are even “worse” according to Buford (33). 

You are manipulating me Buford, why? I’m now an expert. Don’t play with me. When you refer to Bobby Boss you make me feel intrigue of what will come next. By saying “I cannot refer by his real name. I will call him Bobby Boss. And his agency? The Booby Boss Travel Agency” (31). Congratulations! If your goal was to create the want of reading more, you did it! Later I found out about this agency that until the moment is not nice at all. I picture it as the members being illegal persons.

The way Mick talks is not pleasant. I like the way Buford goes strait to the point and says how Mick refers to Americans and journalists. I’m not going to lie, the first time I read the words “cunts” and “wankers” I had no idea of what Buford was talking about (26). Then after looking in the diccionary I found out their meaning:

Cunts: the vulva or vagina.

Wankers: a male masturbator.

Seriously? You just referred to journalists being vaginas. And Americans being male masturbators. Wow! I’m impressed.

Buford writes this way to gain more confidence with the readers. These words are the ones that make the book change of register. Now it has some informal parts on it.

Your right Mr. Tangent this book is not for girls!