Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

Nick Bargatze opens his memoir by recalling the first time he spoke to his publisher over the phone about titling the book. He suggested the title Big Dumb Eyes, but with his Southern accent, his publisher hears “Big Demise.” Bargatze acknowledges the irony of the fact that he has written a book at all; in his standup comedy, he often talks about his distaste for reading and books. However, he assures readers that Big Dumb Eyes is not “a whole complicated thing” (2). It does not go into deep or serious topics, and as a collection of stories, the chapters don’t have to be read in chronological order. Reading this book, he stresses, does not necessitate any “pesky stuff” like “smarts,” or “facts or opinions” (2).

Bargatze assures readers that he will contextualize recurring characters each time they come up, so that there is no need to keep track of who they are. For example, Bargatze mentions his friend P-P frequently, and the he promises to remind readers each time that P-P’s nickname derives from an incident wherein “he got hit in the pee-pee with a football” (4). Bargatze also notes that the book contains several blank pages, “to help you keep your head above water,” and very few “big words” (4).