Perspective

The biography is told from Pete Townsend's point of view, about his own life. The events are therefore biased towards how Pete saw them, and the book expresses his own opinions as to certain people's behavior and motives. Pete writes persuasively and reflectively, convincing the reader that he is being as honest as possible. However, Pete also wants the reader to like him, and from his work with Faber he has plenty of experience of how to persuade readers to share a certain point of view.

The book begins in the present tense, slipping into the past tense in the second chapter and then maintaining it throughout the book, with the occasional exception in sections told in the present when Pete is trying to capture a strong feeling of immediacy, or when he is inserting his own opinions or readings of the situation. The present tense beginning helps...