Chapter 1: Us and Them Summary and Analysis

When the Sedaris family first moved to North Carolina, they rented a house three blocks from school where David would start third grade. His mother only made one friend. Getting too close to people wasn't a good idea when you moved a lot, his mother told her. Not long after, the family moved again. It was only a mile away but too far to keep in contact with kids from the other neighborhood. He eventually became like his mother and pretended not making friends was his choice.

In New York State, the family had lived in the country where people could go outside and still be alone. But in the new place, their windows looked directly out over other houses. David walked around at night hoping to see a murder but all he saw was...