I really enjoyed Susan Orlean's "The American Man at Age Ten." Not only does she use descriptive imagery to describe herself and Colin Duffy, but she succeeds in intertwining both characters, effectively shoeing herself into a ten year old's world. Right off the bat, she succeeded in this integration: "We would wear shorts, big sneakers, and long baggy T-shirts depicting famous athletes every single day, even in the winter. We would sleep in our clothes." She continues with the "we"s to really emphasize their connection and the world they are in together.
Another effective tactic that Orlean used well was dialogue. The back and forth conversations between her and Colin added to their closeness and how well it was portrayed. "Who's the coolest person in the world? Morgan Freeman...Who's the coolest woman?" etc. These daily chit-chats draw the reader in even more to their world.
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I agree, I loved that parts of it were so "run-on" and random (like the questioning part you mention) because it really seemed to mimic the way a child thinks and speaks. But I also loved that you could see Orlean taking bits and pieces of Colin's actions and dialogue and grouping them together in one section to address a larger theme (like the gender thing). It was a good mix of chaos and order.
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