Structure

How We Fight For Our Lives is divided into four 'Parts,' plus a prologue. Each 'Part' is of a different length and the chapters within them are of different lengths as well. Some chapters are very short, at only two or three pages long, while others are of a more average chapter length. Each of the book’s four parts focuses on a different phase of Saeed’s life. Part One is about his late childhood and very early teen years. Part Two takes place during his high school years, Part Three focuses on his time in university, and Part Four is about his early adulthood when his mother passes away. The book therefore follows an overarching chronological narrative, though flashbacks and flashforwards do occur. There are skips in time between some of the book’s sections, and some aspects of Saeed’s life during these...