Damaged Right Out Of The Box

by Alan Felyk, Mark E. Stevens (Illustrator), Cindy Carter (Design)

It started at birth when a doctor left an indentation on Alan Felyk's forehead with his forceps. Yes, Damaged Right Out Of The Box . . . It was the beginning of an ordinary life that was often blended with the improbable. The result is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes wistful personal experiences book that discusses survival despite asbestos, radioactive particles, talcum powder bombs, a butt-crack abscess, quadruple coronary bypass surgery, and women . . . not necessarily in that order of importance. Jobs such as a groundskeeper, ditch digger, road crew member, waiter, surveyor, houseboy, and taxi driver provided a perfect background for his career in journalism. As a writer/editor, he left Walter Cronkite on hold, covered a vice presidential speech while stoned, and helped get Clive Cussler fired. He has found "love" on the floor of a grade-school coat closet, in the bushes of a college dormitory, and draped over a toilet seat. And somewhere among the distant stars his name could still be aboard an ill-fated spacecraft that may have sailed past Mars. Don't leave hot coffee on the dashboard for this one-Felyk's book is a rapid stop-and-go ride that spans more than six decades of laughs, misadventures, and bittersweetness.

Genres: Memoir

258 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2012

Reviews

[Aldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty autobiography accounting for a man's life from birth to late adulthood. The key takeaway is that this book makes us more reflective by evaluating what we did right and wrong with our lives and mistakes to avoid. Also, it's humorous and a must-read for memoir/autobiography fans who appreciate life lessons from an author who's been around the block.

[Mona Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author’s life revealed through snippets of moments

I found this book to be interesting, and it seemed to be the author’s life in a nutshell. His way of thought was very touching and I was able to relate in some aspects. Not only that, but there was some moments of joy and humor and I loved that about this book, because through the bad times there’s always some good! I highly recommend if you’re into personal documentary type of stories about self-reflecting from authors.

[Linda Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

He helped a major rock band on the road to fame, made connections for a well-known, well respected television journalist, and even had a peripheral involvement in Star Wars. Now he's ready to tell you about it.

With "Damaged Right Out Of The Box," Alan Felyk will have you laughing, crying, and wanting to cover your face because you just KNOW what's about to happen. If you're like me, you'll start laughing reading the table of contents. His memoir is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. If you don't find yourself emotionally involved within the first 20 pages, you're not reading it correctly.

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

To write about pain and happiness in succeeding chapters in the same style with matchable enthusiasm is a feat not many can achieve. Alan Felyk's experience in journalism makes the whole book enjoyable right from the start. Either he has incredible memory or surely does have a way with fiction. He gets away with what he planned to get from the reader - laughs! A man with quick wit and general resilience to all stresses in life, Felyk serves as a man to look up to. A breezy read with lot more to offer than humor.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of short vignettes about what really wasn't a very exciting life. He went to high school, went to college, went to work. Fell in love. Broke up. Pretty much the same things that happen to everyone.

His wit and writing style turn those stories into page-turning gems. I read it until I fell asleep last night and finished it today.

I really really liked it.

[Robert Enzenauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that for me this book caused me to laugh out loud. Probably best way to describe this book is "quirky." As a senior just a few years younger than the author, and living in Colorado, the book intrigued me from the start. This is an incredible first person memoir, starting with his own perspective of birth trauma, growing up in southern Colorado, college during the Vietnam era at CU Boulder, his life as a writer, the end of a twenty-year marraige on one page. For those who were college-aged late 1960s, you will genuinely identify with the angst of waiting for the ping pong balls unveiling draft numbers, that meant either "safe" or at risk for duty in Southeast Asia. His story is very self-effacing, and very entertaining. His reminiscences of childhood friendships, college/fraternity antics, make me think of American Graffitti.

[Matthew Scigousky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes courage to put yourself out there

I’ll start by saying this book really isn’t for me but what I can appreciate is it’s authenticity. The author puts his life out there and that takes courage. 4 stars for courage.

I think the book could be really compelling if the life moments were formatted as life lessons. At the end of the day everyone has shit. We all have something.

[Kaizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended book

It's a collection of humorous and sad vignettes that propel the reader from the nostalgic 1950s to 2012. I recommend it

[Paul Leverell · Rating 4 out of 5]

a long fun journey

I love books like this that take you on a long journey. In this case the 1950s to the 2010s. It is nostalgic, comical and well written.