Final Reflection

Leaving Dirty Jersey is an intriguing memoir to read. I was interested throughout the whole book and eager to keep reading. Leaving Dirty Jersey used imagery very well. The description of each setting in the book was vivid. Some other moments in which Salant used detailed descriptions were actions like someone getting beaten or Jimmy taking a shot. The moments in the memoir were so detailed that I could easily picture them in my mind. I admire the way Salant uses so much detail that the audience can picture what is going on throughout the story. The dialogue used in the story was very helpful in characterizing the characters. For Jimmy the dialogue he once used changes from when he was younger to when he gets older he uses a harsher tone toward others. The dialogue used to characterize Joe, Jimmy’s brother, in the beginning of the book was harsh. Joe was perceived to be a mean or even crazy boy who bullied his brother. I also like how Salant decided to tell many moments of his life in which he was at his lowest point in life. It was as though he wasn’t ashamed of telling the whole world of his story of battling drugs. One thing that I do not like about many memoirs in general is that the authors incorporate their own feelings or point of views into the story making someone they have a grudge against or a certain person they don’t like look worse then they actually are. Memoirs also only get one side of the story instead of both sides of the story since they are told from the first person point of view. Overall I very much liked Leaving Dirty Jersey from Jimmy starting to do drugs, getting clean, relapsing, breaking down, getting clean again, relapsing one more time then getting clean for the last time.

Word Count: 313