America narrates his story in the present tense, lacing his speech liberally with street language; his attitude is endearing in its candor: ???Food here sucks,??? he tells Dr. B. ???Just because I???m crazy doesn???t mean I have to eat shit.??? Frank (Life Is Funny, 2000) creates perfectly both America at five, unsure of anything except the hope that if he is bad enough, his mother will send him b