David Small from Stitches: A Memoir is the protagonist of the story. He lives in a volatile household with emotionally distant, highly abusive parents. To deal with his homelife he retreats into books, writing, and anything creative. He is not healthy and has to have a series of surgeries. After a second round of surgeries he begins to act out against his life and is sent to live in a boy's school. He does not fare well there, either. However, he does manage to gain some counseling and is able to straighten his life out, despite his upbringing.
