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Amp'd
Amp'd from Ken Pisani, A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER and finalist for the 2017 Thurber Prize for American Humor
"Complete with painfully wry observations and delightfully caustic wit, this novel is a gritty exploration of what it's like to feel incomplete in the world. All five fingers up for this bitterly satisfying tale." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Aaron is not a man on a hero's journey. In the question of fight or flight, he'll choose flight every time. So when a car accident leaves him suddenly asymmetrical, his left arm amputated, looking on the bright side just isn't something he's equipped to do.
Forced to return to his boyhood home to recuperate, Aaron is confronted with an aging father (a former Olympic biathlete turned hoarder), a mother who's chosen to live in a yurt with a fireman twelve years her junior, and a well-meaning sister whose insufferable husband proves love isn't just blind, but also painfully stupid.
As Aaron tries to make the world around him disappear in a haze of Vicodin and medical marijuana, the only true joy in his life comes from daily ninety-second radio spots of fun science the speed of falling raindrops, batteries made out of starfish, and sexual responses triggered by ringtones - all told in the lush, disembodied voice of commentator Sunny Lee, with whom he falls helplessly, ridiculously, in love. Aaron's obsession with Sunny only hastens his downward spiral, like pouring accelerant on a fire. Pressured to do something - anything - to move his life forward, he takes the only job he can get. As a "fish counter" at the nearby dam, he concludes that an act of violent sacrifice to liberate the river might be his best, final option.
"Complete with painfully wry observations and delightfully caustic wit, this novel is a gritty exploration of what it's like to feel incomplete in the world. All five fingers up for this bitterly satisfying tale." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Aaron is not a man on a hero's journey. In the question of fight or flight, he'll choose flight every time. So when a car accident leaves him suddenly asymmetrical, his left arm amputated, looking on the bright side just isn't something he's equipped to do.
Forced to return to his boyhood home to recuperate, Aaron is confronted with an aging father (a former Olympic biathlete turned hoarder), a mother who's chosen to live in a yurt with a fireman twelve years her junior, and a well-meaning sister whose insufferable husband proves love isn't just blind, but also painfully stupid.
As Aaron tries to make the world around him disappear in a haze of Vicodin and medical marijuana, the only true joy in his life comes from daily ninety-second radio spots of fun science the speed of falling raindrops, batteries made out of starfish, and sexual responses triggered by ringtones - all told in the lush, disembodied voice of commentator Sunny Lee, with whom he falls helplessly, ridiculously, in love. Aaron's obsession with Sunny only hastens his downward spiral, like pouring accelerant on a fire. Pressured to do something - anything - to move his life forward, he takes the only job he can get. As a "fish counter" at the nearby dam, he concludes that an act of violent sacrifice to liberate the river might be his best, final option.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2016
13 people are currently reading
1342 people want to read
About the author
Ken Pisani
7 books17 followersKen Pisani is an Emmy-nominated TV producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and comic book author. His Los Angeles Times best-selling debut novel “AMP’D” was a finalist for the 2017 Thurber Prize for American Humor. His original sci-fi graphic novel, "Colonus," published by Dark Horse Comics, won the Geekie Award for Best Comic Book. Ken recently optioned his novella “4 Corners” for television. His new novel, “The Defection and Subsequent Resurrection of Nikolai Pushkin,” (pub date TBD) is a decades-spanning farce based on true events. Read Chapter 1: tinyurl.com/NikolaiChap1
Follow Ken on Twitter @kpsmartypants or visit kenpisani.com
Follow Ken on Twitter @kpsmartypants or visit kenpisani.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
August 4, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was reading books just based on seeing a teensie little blurb posted out on the interwebs by friends? Amp’d fell into that category due to the first line of Sandra’s review . . .
"I’m the guy who wakes up in the hospital to find out his arm has been amputated and says, Fuck me."
But then . . . .
So I’m just now getting around to reviewing this sumbitch. And now I’m going to do something I absolutely loathe: IF YOU ARE A FAN OF JONATHON TROPPER, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!! Since I get paid zero dollars for my book pushery and don’t work as a publicist, you can trust that I’m not lying. If you fell in love with Judd in This Is Where I Leave You or any of Tropper’s other loveable losers, you’ll probably fall for Aaron as well.
As the snippet above states, Aaron’s world is rocked when he wakes up after a car accident sans arm and has to move in with his father during his recuperation. It’s in his childhood home that he (over)medicates himself with various prescriptions and pilfered bottles from his father’s liquor cabinet, learns about his parents’ unconventional separation, bonds with the family pet . . .
gets some harsh truth from his mother . . .
“If only there was a future in bullshit, Aaron. You’d be unstoppable”
starts falling for a voice on the radio, and makes a new friend in the most unconventional of ways . . .
Oh Ken Pisani . . .
You, sir, were an absolute delight to read. I loved nearly everything about this book – from the realness of Aaron’s pity party and downward spiral all the way to his redemption arc. And the writing? Oh, you’re good at dialogue . . .
“Do you have a dollar?”
“Yes?” he says tentatively.
“Well, hang on to it. Someday you may want to give it to a nice girl who dances for you.”
To quote from one of Tropper’s works . . .
I loved these idiots.
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was reading books just based on seeing a teensie little blurb posted out on the interwebs by friends? Amp’d fell into that category due to the first line of Sandra’s review . . .
"I’m the guy who wakes up in the hospital to find out his arm has been amputated and says, Fuck me."
But then . . . .
So I’m just now getting around to reviewing this sumbitch. And now I’m going to do something I absolutely loathe: IF YOU ARE A FAN OF JONATHON TROPPER, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!! Since I get paid zero dollars for my book pushery and don’t work as a publicist, you can trust that I’m not lying. If you fell in love with Judd in This Is Where I Leave You or any of Tropper’s other loveable losers, you’ll probably fall for Aaron as well.
As the snippet above states, Aaron’s world is rocked when he wakes up after a car accident sans arm and has to move in with his father during his recuperation. It’s in his childhood home that he (over)medicates himself with various prescriptions and pilfered bottles from his father’s liquor cabinet, learns about his parents’ unconventional separation, bonds with the family pet . . .
gets some harsh truth from his mother . . .
“If only there was a future in bullshit, Aaron. You’d be unstoppable”
starts falling for a voice on the radio, and makes a new friend in the most unconventional of ways . . .
Oh Ken Pisani . . .
You, sir, were an absolute delight to read. I loved nearly everything about this book – from the realness of Aaron’s pity party and downward spiral all the way to his redemption arc. And the writing? Oh, you’re good at dialogue . . .
“Do you have a dollar?”
“Yes?” he says tentatively.
“Well, hang on to it. Someday you may want to give it to a nice girl who dances for you.”
To quote from one of Tropper’s works . . .
I loved these idiots.
May 31, 2016
I learned a few things about myself after reading this novel. I love cynical and ironic humor and I love reading about families that are stranger than my own. In essence I loved this book though I admit it sounds kind of sick to love a book about a man who loses his arm in an SUV accident and has to move in with his father at the age of forty. This book, though is full of laugh out loud humor, an alligator, an amusing mother and father with a very different sort of relationship and a sister with a husband who can best be described as lazy and dumb. Oh, and most poignantly a little boy with cancer. Of course there is sadness and bitterness but the main character Aaron is doing his best, or is he? There are also lists and factoids from a radio show that keeps Aaron from completely giving up and there are the others things that life and fate throws at a person.
All on all for me this was a brilliant read, a fun and funny read and a book that moved so fast that I was done before I knew it. Have now passed it on to my hubby who is also loving it.
All on all for me this was a brilliant read, a fun and funny read and a book that moved so fast that I was done before I knew it. Have now passed it on to my hubby who is also loving it.
May 5, 2016
3 ½ stars. Amp’d is an entertaining romp. Thirty year old Aaron loses an arm in a car accident, and then moves in with his father. Feeling hard done by, Aaron proceeds to descend into a bout of bad behaviour peppered with plenty of bad attitude. The book is told from Aaron’s perspective, with lots of dark humour and some underlying real emotions – especially when it comes to the feelings towards his family. Aaron’s world is populated by an odd assortment of characters that add to the humour of the story – his mother and father are particularly well depicted. I didn’t love Amp’d – I never felt fully in synch with its humour – but I found it entertaining and think that Pisani does a good job of depicting Aaron as a self-deprecating grouch with a few redeeming qualities. It’s a common literary figure, but done well in this case. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
May 11, 2016
"I’m the guy who wakes up in the hospital to find out his arm has been amputated and says, Fuck me."
A witty and quirky book about Aaron who lost his left arm in a car accident. He goes back to his childhood home to live with his father and start his life as a one-armed man. Not taking things too seriously, he usually lives in a haze of painkillers and weed.
We meet many interesting characters, from his parents and sister, to his colleagues and friends, the one who had a special place in my heart, was a young boy Adam meets in the hospital. That kid had some spunk in him! Along the way, Adam learns that not everything is all about him all the time, and while things not always go the way he wanted, he manages to find his spot in this world. And that deep down inside him, he is still that good guy he always was.
A very lighthearted read, eventhough dealing with a difficult subject as amputation.
THINGS YOU CAN’T DO WITH ONE ARM
Clap
Floss
Juggle
Climb a ladder
Button a shirt
Tie shoelaces
Wear mittens
Open a jar
Shuck corn
Butter toast
Toss a salad
Cut a steak
Rope cattle
Count money
Fold laundry
Put a shirt on a hanger
Bench press
Drive a stick
Pet two dogs
Cover your ears
Use a bow and arrow
Monkey bars!
Push a wheelbarrow
Pump a fireplace bellows
Build a snow fort
Make meatballs
Open one of those grocery produce bags
Scratch that spot right in the wrong side of the middle of your back
Play an instrument
word gem:
penurious adj.: 1. extremely poor; poverty-stricken 2. parsimonious; mean
Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.
March 19, 2017
This book really deserves to get more attention.
Aaron wakes up after a horrendous car accident, minus one arm. With a failed marriage, a mediocre career as a teacher and now handicapped, at the age of almost 40 he is forced to move back to his childhood home.
I really loved the fact that Aaron was not portrayed as a man that rises from adversity, no Aaron is really pissed about what happened to him and the only rising he does is to go refill his prescription for medical marijuana. He was not always the most likable person but he grew on me.
The aftermath of his accident and subsequent move back home is told with humour, even if it’s the very dark and self-depreciating kind. Initially I worried that the funny would turn in to facetious but the more I read the more I enjoyed this.
The words laugh out loud has lost its meaning with its overuse but that’s the only description that fits as there were a few sections that had me howling unexpectedly with laughter.
I loved that both parents, each in their own way, did not coddle Aaron about his amputation. No nonsense parenting in full force. And as an added bonus I learned more about fish counting and pet alligators than I ever wanted to.
Uniquely quirky and definitely worth the read.
Aaron wakes up after a horrendous car accident, minus one arm. With a failed marriage, a mediocre career as a teacher and now handicapped, at the age of almost 40 he is forced to move back to his childhood home.
I really loved the fact that Aaron was not portrayed as a man that rises from adversity, no Aaron is really pissed about what happened to him and the only rising he does is to go refill his prescription for medical marijuana. He was not always the most likable person but he grew on me.
The aftermath of his accident and subsequent move back home is told with humour, even if it’s the very dark and self-depreciating kind. Initially I worried that the funny would turn in to facetious but the more I read the more I enjoyed this.
The words laugh out loud has lost its meaning with its overuse but that’s the only description that fits as there were a few sections that had me howling unexpectedly with laughter.
I loved that both parents, each in their own way, did not coddle Aaron about his amputation. No nonsense parenting in full force. And as an added bonus I learned more about fish counting and pet alligators than I ever wanted to.
Uniquely quirky and definitely worth the read.
October 8, 2017
I'm so happy that I finally got to this book that was recommended by a friend a while ago. I loved all the characters, the humor, the interesting scientific tit-bits throughout the book, the lists and the fact that it is very much politically incorrect. This is written so convincingly that I thought I was reading a memoir. Aaron is honest, intelligent, funny, depressed and very entertaining. He is definitely not known for making considered choices, but this seems to run in the family. I laughed a lot, but there are also quite a few sad moments. I highly recommend this amusing, quirky and sweet story about trying to feel complete again.
The Story: Aaron's life is derailed after a bad car accident that leads to the amputation of his left arm. He holes up in his dad's attic, concocts cocktails of painkillers and medical marijuana, and attempts to abdicate from life. Even as he continues to protest and make lists of all the things he can't do with only one arm, life keeps finding him in the form of an alligator, a boisterous kid with cancer, a job counting fish, an alluring radio personality, and another amputee.
The Story: Aaron's life is derailed after a bad car accident that leads to the amputation of his left arm. He holes up in his dad's attic, concocts cocktails of painkillers and medical marijuana, and attempts to abdicate from life. Even as he continues to protest and make lists of all the things he can't do with only one arm, life keeps finding him in the form of an alligator, a boisterous kid with cancer, a job counting fish, an alluring radio personality, and another amputee.
September 18, 2018
4.25 Stars!
April 22, 2017
4-5* Read Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s great review of this book! Amp'd is clever, lough out loud funny,the dialogue is really wonderful (I'm referring to the book-but I'm really describing her reviews as well )...Oh-enough already- just go read Kelly's review - I'm just parroting here.
PS Diane S wrote a great review too (only difference is- she just discovered she likes cynical, ironic humor, and I always knew that I loved it!!)
PS Diane S wrote a great review too (only difference is- she just discovered she likes cynical, ironic humor, and I always knew that I loved it!!)
April 13, 2016
Ok, so my husband hears me keep snickering over here and asks me what this book is about. "Well, there's this amputee.. WAIT!" Too late - he's already judged me. But this story is funny, I swear. And entrancing.
When Aaron comes to in the hospital, he will tell you straight up that he is not going to be some guy who overcomes adversity and inspires others. He is pissed off having lost his arm in a car wreck, and the very first productive thing he does is make a list. A list of all the stuff he now cannot do. Wear mittens. Open a jar. Shuck corn. Push a wheelbarrow. Cut up steak.
Divorced and pushing 40 (one handed), still stumbling through recovery from the accident, Aaron is stuck moving back to his home town where his retired father - who won't acknowledge what's now "missing" from his son - can care for him. The dad loves watching SportsCenter, but when the two note all the swings, pitches, and double plays that Aaron will never be capable of, it's time to change channels. "The final indignity is the umpire calling a play at the plate by signaling “safe,” both arms spread wide like a fat airplane."
Aaron's mother has moved out but reappears to help motivate him with her no-nonsense version of Zen, dispensed while gutting him in games of pool shot in the basement (yet another thing a one armed man cannot do). "Leaning over the table, she bore some resemblance to a praying mantis, all skinny limbs stretched at odd angles from the end of her backless heel to the tips of her fingers, dusty with chalk."
Neither of the parents can edge Aaron out of his snarky (but darkly hilarious) attitude, so when his sister flies in with her goof of a husband, they have some hope. What Aaron has, though, is some potent medical marijuana, Vicodin, a lot of cheap vodka, and a wasted brother-in-law who thinks tattooing a newly amputated stump is a grand idea.
And that's just the first few chapters.
At heart, Aaron has spent his whole life not trying very hard. When given the choice
between what he wants for himself and the promises he makes to others, he never makes a sacrifice. He will crawl out of a bathroom window - one armed, mind you - to avoid people he doesn't want to deal with.
Friends, potential lovers, law enforcement, a foul mouthed little kid, and a pet alligator ultimately amp up the pressure on Aaron to stop feeling so self-absorbed. But this is Aaron here, and he has other losses to face.
That an author can include regular scenes of glee in a character study of a guy who feels like he will never be loved again - or ever be good at anything - is a testament to some skill. Look, I've got a teenager who is disabled - lifelong, big time. To be able to laugh out loud, despite the crap, is the secret to life. Pisani's got it. 5 stars
My thanks to those at Net Galley for an early reading of Amp'd.
When Aaron comes to in the hospital, he will tell you straight up that he is not going to be some guy who overcomes adversity and inspires others. He is pissed off having lost his arm in a car wreck, and the very first productive thing he does is make a list. A list of all the stuff he now cannot do. Wear mittens. Open a jar. Shuck corn. Push a wheelbarrow. Cut up steak.
Divorced and pushing 40 (one handed), still stumbling through recovery from the accident, Aaron is stuck moving back to his home town where his retired father - who won't acknowledge what's now "missing" from his son - can care for him. The dad loves watching SportsCenter, but when the two note all the swings, pitches, and double plays that Aaron will never be capable of, it's time to change channels. "The final indignity is the umpire calling a play at the plate by signaling “safe,” both arms spread wide like a fat airplane."
Aaron's mother has moved out but reappears to help motivate him with her no-nonsense version of Zen, dispensed while gutting him in games of pool shot in the basement (yet another thing a one armed man cannot do). "Leaning over the table, she bore some resemblance to a praying mantis, all skinny limbs stretched at odd angles from the end of her backless heel to the tips of her fingers, dusty with chalk."
Neither of the parents can edge Aaron out of his snarky (but darkly hilarious) attitude, so when his sister flies in with her goof of a husband, they have some hope. What Aaron has, though, is some potent medical marijuana, Vicodin, a lot of cheap vodka, and a wasted brother-in-law who thinks tattooing a newly amputated stump is a grand idea.
And that's just the first few chapters.
At heart, Aaron has spent his whole life not trying very hard. When given the choice
between what he wants for himself and the promises he makes to others, he never makes a sacrifice. He will crawl out of a bathroom window - one armed, mind you - to avoid people he doesn't want to deal with.
Friends, potential lovers, law enforcement, a foul mouthed little kid, and a pet alligator ultimately amp up the pressure on Aaron to stop feeling so self-absorbed. But this is Aaron here, and he has other losses to face.
That an author can include regular scenes of glee in a character study of a guy who feels like he will never be loved again - or ever be good at anything - is a testament to some skill. Look, I've got a teenager who is disabled - lifelong, big time. To be able to laugh out loud, despite the crap, is the secret to life. Pisani's got it. 5 stars
My thanks to those at Net Galley for an early reading of Amp'd.
October 21, 2017
This book! Why aren't more people talking about this book?!
Anyone out there a fan of useless information? Think bathroom books. You know, those books full of facts that are interesting but superfluous. Well, Ken Pisani has managed to put those facts to good use. Amp'd is basically a peek into the life of a fairly dysfunctional, yet loving (in their own way) family -- peppered throughout with useless facts that work. I laughed, my heart hurt a little, and I laughed some more. A lot, actually. Irreverently. (Don't read this if you're easily offended. {Pansy.})
I highly recommend this. A very good read!
Anyone out there a fan of useless information? Think bathroom books. You know, those books full of facts that are interesting but superfluous. Well, Ken Pisani has managed to put those facts to good use. Amp'd is basically a peek into the life of a fairly dysfunctional, yet loving (in their own way) family -- peppered throughout with useless facts that work. I laughed, my heart hurt a little, and I laughed some more. A lot, actually. Irreverently. (Don't read this if you're easily offended. {Pansy.})
I highly recommend this. A very good read!
May 11, 2016
Aaron wasn't exactly winning the game of life, even before the accident that forever changed him. A failed marriage and a job for which he doesn't much care are what define him until the day his car is struck by an SUV and he loses his left arm. After a lengthy rehab, he is forced to return to his childhood home, moving in with his father because he simply has nowhere else to go. It's hard to imagine a premise less comfortable, however, Ken Pisani’s new novel Amp’d is irreverent, edgy, soulful, and yes, at times even outright hilarious.
Aaron’s first person narrative is self-deprecating, his depression practically paralyzing him as he attempts to take up living again and we see the world through the eyes of a man who cannot hide what has happened to him. This is profoundly expressed throughout the novel, my favorite being a scene where he and his father (who does not ever mention the accident or the arm) go out to breakfast their first morning together. A restaurant full of people he’s known his whole life cannot ignore him but also cannot face him, the room seeming to freeze and their eyes finding more comfortable targets. As you might imagine, this does little to lessen the depression, and Aaron finds himself escaping out the bathroom window, running as he will do many times instead of facing his problems.
Luckily for him, Aaron has many who care for him and lucky for the reader, these characters are almost without exception interesting and entertaining. His father, a former Olympic biathlete, his mother who has moved out and is having a tryst with a much younger man, a fireman she saw in a calendar, his sister and her annoying husband. Each is flawed in significant ways, but their intentions are noble and their interactions are fodder for comedy and and for pondering some of life’s basic truths.
It is in the melding of humor with the serious business of addressing the randomness and unfairness of the universe that this novel succeeds. “I’ve learned that anything can happen to anyone at anytime” Aaron confesses, also conceding that he “is not a guy who faces down hardship and emerges a better, fuller person” It is this honesty that endears the reader to Aaron. this is not the story of a man determined to emerge from a horrible accident stronger and more determined than ever. This is a man just looking for reasons to get out of bed in the morning.
One of the early ways he copes is via medical marijuana, having obtained a prescription in an entertaining scene between Aaron, his father and their doctor. The collective has a multitude of choices and some of Pisani’s best comedy comes in the names he gives to these options throughout the book.
Slowly, Aaron begins to live life again, but true to form, he does nothing normally. From his choice of meds to his choice of job to his co-workers and acquaintances, nothing is predictable, and nobody is normal. He begins to fall for a woman named Sunny whose voice he hears during a short science segment on the radio each day, and like her name implies, she becomes one of the only bright spots in his days. But it is when he befriends a young boy with terminal cancer that he begins to understand what it will mean to resume truly living again, and Pisani deftly mines this friendship to bring home the book’s most meaningful observations.
Amp’d is an immensely interesting and profound novel. It forces the reader to address difficult questions without looking away, but is written in a style that makes doing so not only palatable, but rewarding. This is a reading experience that I highly recommend and one that I won’t soon forget.
-note: I received an advanced copy of this book free for the purpose of review
Aaron’s first person narrative is self-deprecating, his depression practically paralyzing him as he attempts to take up living again and we see the world through the eyes of a man who cannot hide what has happened to him. This is profoundly expressed throughout the novel, my favorite being a scene where he and his father (who does not ever mention the accident or the arm) go out to breakfast their first morning together. A restaurant full of people he’s known his whole life cannot ignore him but also cannot face him, the room seeming to freeze and their eyes finding more comfortable targets. As you might imagine, this does little to lessen the depression, and Aaron finds himself escaping out the bathroom window, running as he will do many times instead of facing his problems.
Luckily for him, Aaron has many who care for him and lucky for the reader, these characters are almost without exception interesting and entertaining. His father, a former Olympic biathlete, his mother who has moved out and is having a tryst with a much younger man, a fireman she saw in a calendar, his sister and her annoying husband. Each is flawed in significant ways, but their intentions are noble and their interactions are fodder for comedy and and for pondering some of life’s basic truths.
It is in the melding of humor with the serious business of addressing the randomness and unfairness of the universe that this novel succeeds. “I’ve learned that anything can happen to anyone at anytime” Aaron confesses, also conceding that he “is not a guy who faces down hardship and emerges a better, fuller person” It is this honesty that endears the reader to Aaron. this is not the story of a man determined to emerge from a horrible accident stronger and more determined than ever. This is a man just looking for reasons to get out of bed in the morning.
One of the early ways he copes is via medical marijuana, having obtained a prescription in an entertaining scene between Aaron, his father and their doctor. The collective has a multitude of choices and some of Pisani’s best comedy comes in the names he gives to these options throughout the book.
Slowly, Aaron begins to live life again, but true to form, he does nothing normally. From his choice of meds to his choice of job to his co-workers and acquaintances, nothing is predictable, and nobody is normal. He begins to fall for a woman named Sunny whose voice he hears during a short science segment on the radio each day, and like her name implies, she becomes one of the only bright spots in his days. But it is when he befriends a young boy with terminal cancer that he begins to understand what it will mean to resume truly living again, and Pisani deftly mines this friendship to bring home the book’s most meaningful observations.
Amp’d is an immensely interesting and profound novel. It forces the reader to address difficult questions without looking away, but is written in a style that makes doing so not only palatable, but rewarding. This is a reading experience that I highly recommend and one that I won’t soon forget.
-note: I received an advanced copy of this book free for the purpose of review
May 14, 2016
This was a wry, caustic, funny, quick and enjoyable read. The main character loses his arm in a car accident and has to move back home with his dad. Lots of Midwestern family drama, but in a family you would like to be part of. Lots of weirdness, like an alligator in the bathtub and excessive amounts of Vicodin and medical marijuana. All told with a quiet understated humor and insight into tragedies and how we deal with them. Really amusing, tragic, and touching.
March 10, 2016
AMP'D, by Ken Pisani, is the story of Aaron, who has recently lost his arm in a car accident. Aaron seems to have done his best to avoid life's choices the best as he can, but through his amputation and how the rest of the world reacts to him, especially those close to him, Aaron just might evolve into a better person. The book is poignant, bitingly reflective and quite funny.
The book begins with Aaron explaining his situation and what has happened and Pisani does a good job of exploring how most people would react to losing a limb, with some stark realities and self-deprecating humor. Aaron major coping mechanism, even before the accident, is humor. His mother ignores it, his father grunts at it, and his sister yells at him for it. Pisani does a good job of portraying Aaron as an ungrateful, smart-mouthed mooch who doesn't seem to want to help himself, but as people meet him, they can't help but like him, slowly revealing that Aaron isn't quite the loser he seems to be at the beginning of the book. I liked that Pisani was careful to write Aaron and the book slightly differently depending on how high Aaron was at a particular moment. It really added to the flow of the book. All of the supporting characters around Aaron were a joy to meet as well, from his former Olympian turned grumpy father, to a boy dying of cancer who has passion for life most people wish they had, to alligator pet that seems to have a personality all his own. I was reminded of writers Jonathan Tropper and Craig Lancaster while reading AMP'D; all three writers have a knack for writing about people who deep down are good people who just haven't found that about themselves yet.
AMP'D was a joy to read and I think most people would enjoy it. Pisani seems to enjoy writing and I look forward to his next book.
***I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway!***
The book begins with Aaron explaining his situation and what has happened and Pisani does a good job of exploring how most people would react to losing a limb, with some stark realities and self-deprecating humor. Aaron major coping mechanism, even before the accident, is humor. His mother ignores it, his father grunts at it, and his sister yells at him for it. Pisani does a good job of portraying Aaron as an ungrateful, smart-mouthed mooch who doesn't seem to want to help himself, but as people meet him, they can't help but like him, slowly revealing that Aaron isn't quite the loser he seems to be at the beginning of the book. I liked that Pisani was careful to write Aaron and the book slightly differently depending on how high Aaron was at a particular moment. It really added to the flow of the book. All of the supporting characters around Aaron were a joy to meet as well, from his former Olympian turned grumpy father, to a boy dying of cancer who has passion for life most people wish they had, to alligator pet that seems to have a personality all his own. I was reminded of writers Jonathan Tropper and Craig Lancaster while reading AMP'D; all three writers have a knack for writing about people who deep down are good people who just haven't found that about themselves yet.
AMP'D was a joy to read and I think most people would enjoy it. Pisani seems to enjoy writing and I look forward to his next book.
***I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway!***
January 10, 2019
I'm always on the hunt for good, humorous fiction. This had lots of funny lines but, taken as a whole, wasn't that great of a story. It's also quite vulgar. Humor is really hard to write well, I've decided. I'll keep searching.
October 26, 2017
This book reads like a memoir, which means that the author really knows his stuff about amputeeism... (quickly Googles to see if the author is an amputee...then Googles to see if amputeeism is a word...no, and no...oh well) So anyway, the author really did some research and it shows. The book comes across as funny and tragic and heartwarming all at the same time.
May 9, 2016
A quirky story about a 40 year old who lost his arm in a car accident. He's not a pull yourself up by the bootstraps kind of guy so the story is pretty much a downer. The humor is very cynical which can be cute for a while but not for the entire story. There were also some anti-government false information parts that put me off the story. I do appreciate the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2016
I picked up this book after it was recommended in the newspaper, and then kept reading for the intoxicating voice. This book is at once emotionally packed and outrageous: Salinger meets Thurber. Divorce and an alligator in the bathtub. Death and drunken tattoos. Drug addiction and getting sent to the principal's office at the age of 35.
October 6, 2016
4.5
I'm done. And now I want to read it again.
I'm done. And now I want to read it again.
August 3, 2018
Narrator: Ari Fliakos, one of my favorites, gives another 5* performance. He narrates Aaron with the exact right amount of I'm-feeling-sorry-for-myself sarcasm. Not too much, not too little. Perfect.
Amp'd is a funny book about a guy who loses him arm in a car accident. Yup. In fact, it's one of the funniest books I've read all year. After his accident, he moves in with his father in the small town where he grew up. His father won't acknowledge the accident or his missing arm. His mother – having left his father to live in a yurt with a firefighter/calendar page model – tells him life goes on so quit whining. He spends week after week in his room in a drugged-up haze making lists, like all of the jobs a one-armed man can't do (airline traffic controller) and can do (stripper pole cleaner).
I don't want to give away too much of the story, that would spoil the fun. Some of the plot twists are pretty crazy, but Pisani makes it work without losing the reader. Just when the book is about to cross the line into slapstick, he reels you back in with a moment of sad reality.
Amp'd is written in first person with a "yeah, right" kind of not-so-subtle sarcasm. The combination of the narration, the characters and the writing made this one of the my top books this year. Even the most minor characters have their own unique personalities and quirks. I wish I had bookmarked all of the lists to so I could easily drop back in for a quick laugh.
Amp'd is a funny book about a guy who loses him arm in a car accident. Yup. In fact, it's one of the funniest books I've read all year. After his accident, he moves in with his father in the small town where he grew up. His father won't acknowledge the accident or his missing arm. His mother – having left his father to live in a yurt with a firefighter/calendar page model – tells him life goes on so quit whining. He spends week after week in his room in a drugged-up haze making lists, like all of the jobs a one-armed man can't do (airline traffic controller) and can do (stripper pole cleaner).
I don't want to give away too much of the story, that would spoil the fun. Some of the plot twists are pretty crazy, but Pisani makes it work without losing the reader. Just when the book is about to cross the line into slapstick, he reels you back in with a moment of sad reality.
Amp'd is written in first person with a "yeah, right" kind of not-so-subtle sarcasm. The combination of the narration, the characters and the writing made this one of the my top books this year. Even the most minor characters have their own unique personalities and quirks. I wish I had bookmarked all of the lists to so I could easily drop back in for a quick laugh.
July 30, 2018
Audible version: I laughed through the whole thing and it left me with a big smile on my face when it ended. This book is funny! I'm glad I didn't read the publisher's summary too carefully. I bought this in one of the sales and was on a buying binge as retail therapy. Had I read too closely, I wouldn't have bought it and never would have met all the only-quirky-enough-to-still-be-down-to-earth characters and got more therapy from this buy than I would have imagined. If you're in a bit of a slump, this book might be just the thing to get you smiling again. Even if you're not, it's good for a few belly laughs, and who couldn't use a few of those every day? I recommend it. And it's perfectly narrated by Ari Fliakos, who can even do women's voices.
January 11, 2018
Ok, so I saw this book on a NYTimes list of books to read and just grabbed it without actually reading the back cover or anything. Until halfway through, I thought it was autobiographical, and I kept trying to google Ken Pisani and see a picture of him but they all looked like he had two arms. Also, I was trying to figure out how this former HS teacher became such an amazing storyteller and bestselling author.
Then as the story got more and more crazy (in a good way, and a very entertaining page turner) I realized if it were autobiographical (which it absolutely is not, I'm just an idiot who wasn't paying attention) this man would most certainly be in jail today, not writing for kids sketch comedy shows.
Anyway, I think the fact that he fooled me into thinking it was a true story speaks to the writer's gift with crafting an amazingly realistic, personal, heartwarming, painful, and funny book.
I highly recommend it.
Then as the story got more and more crazy (in a good way, and a very entertaining page turner) I realized if it were autobiographical (which it absolutely is not, I'm just an idiot who wasn't paying attention) this man would most certainly be in jail today, not writing for kids sketch comedy shows.
Anyway, I think the fact that he fooled me into thinking it was a true story speaks to the writer's gift with crafting an amazingly realistic, personal, heartwarming, painful, and funny book.
I highly recommend it.
May 23, 2016
Amp'd is a terrific read. I read long stretches of it to my wife and it made us laugh out loud and wince with empathetic pain. Ken Pisani's book is a master class in how tragedy and comedy can be subtly and unexpectedly intertwined and transformative. Every one of the characters turns out to have a surprising side to them - Aaron, the main character, most of all. Ken is a true talent. He clearly understands people and he knows how to capture them on the page in a way that makes you wish you could hang out with them - especially Aaron, who evolves from a self-pitying, self-absorbed accident victim into a great guy and he doesn't even see it happening to himself until the transformation is complete. I am eagerly looking forward to Mr. Pisani's next book.
May 19, 2016
I won a free copy of this book through goodreads giveaways. All opinions are my own.
This book is a MUST READ!!! I wish I could give more than 5 stars for this book because that's what it deserves. I have not read anything as funny as this in a very long time. When I first got this book I thought it would be good for a few laughs, but it had me laughing out loud through the entire book.
The main character loses an arm in a car accident and apparently he also loses his common sense. He has a very sarcastic sense of humor and all of his shenanigans are absolutely hilarious! I would recommend this book to anybody who likes to laugh, because that's exactly what this book will make you do.
This book is a MUST READ!!! I wish I could give more than 5 stars for this book because that's what it deserves. I have not read anything as funny as this in a very long time. When I first got this book I thought it would be good for a few laughs, but it had me laughing out loud through the entire book.
The main character loses an arm in a car accident and apparently he also loses his common sense. He has a very sarcastic sense of humor and all of his shenanigans are absolutely hilarious! I would recommend this book to anybody who likes to laugh, because that's exactly what this book will make you do.
July 26, 2016
I love this book beyond all reason. Unique in story and voice, hilariously funny and surprisingly touching. I had to pace myself in my attempt to make it last as long as possible. Most oddly, I at one point towards the end looked up from the book, glanced outside, and was inexplicably (though fleetingly) deeply in love with the world and everyone in it. For this reaction I have no explanation, but abiding gratitude.
June 26, 2016
You'd think a story about a man who lost his arm in a car accident would be somewhat tragic... It is.. But the story is also full of irony, sarcasm, dry wit and is at times laugh out loud funny... A nice change from the typical mystery or dysfunctional family sagas.
April 9, 2017
Oh so boring. The protagonist wants to be shot and I want to shoot him.
June 25, 2018
Story 1
Wit 5
Voila rating of 3
Wit 5
Voila rating of 3
September 15, 2018
Heartwarming and lifeaffirming--despite some contrived coincidences and resolutions. I will say, I connected with and related to the humor, which is definitely not for everyone, as evidenced by some reviews (which seem split based on whether reviewers share the protagonist's particular brand of humor). The prose wasn't especially flowery, and yet the author's use of description and analogies propeled me into the characters' world. This novel kept me hooked and invested in the characters, and I'm sad to say goodbye to them now that I've finished reading it.
June 2, 2018
Hilarious. I listened on audio book which made it even funnier. Got a five hour solo road trip coming up? This is the audio book that you want to take with you. Laugh out loud funny. Narration was perfect.
April 15, 2019
Maybe 4.5
I love the narrator, Ari Fliakos, so much that I literally have a shelf set aside for books he narrates. So, it’s A bit difficult to think about how much I would love a book if I had read it myself, without the same emphasis and inflections and characters’ voices that Ari brings to his work. But I did listen to this straight through in one day- 2 sittings- so it must be close to 5-star enjoyable (to me). While I laughed out loud several times, this book isn’t entirely without sad or difficult parts.... but I suppose to have both the sad and the sweet and the laugh out loud funny in one, brief novel, is not something everyone can pull off. So, well done!
I love the narrator, Ari Fliakos, so much that I literally have a shelf set aside for books he narrates. So, it’s A bit difficult to think about how much I would love a book if I had read it myself, without the same emphasis and inflections and characters’ voices that Ari brings to his work. But I did listen to this straight through in one day- 2 sittings- so it must be close to 5-star enjoyable (to me). While I laughed out loud several times, this book isn’t entirely without sad or difficult parts.... but I suppose to have both the sad and the sweet and the laugh out loud funny in one, brief novel, is not something everyone can pull off. So, well done!
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