The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage

by Drew Magary

A fascinating, darkly funny comeback story of learning to live with a broken mind after a near-fatal traumatic brain injury--from the acclaimed author of The Hike.

Drew Magary, fan-favorite Defector and former Deadspin columnist, is known for his acerbic takes and his surprisingly nuanced chronicling of his own life. But in The Night the Lights Went Out, he finds himself far out of his depths. On the night of the 2018 Deadspin Awards, he suffered a mysterious fall that caused him to smash his head so hard on a cement floor that he cracked his skull in three places and suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage. For two weeks, he remained in a coma. The world was gone to him, and him to it.

In his long recovery from his injury, including understanding what his family and friends went through as he lay there dying, coming to terms with his now permanent disabilities, and trying to find some lesson in this cosmic accident, he leaned on the one sure thing that he knows and that didn't leave him--his writing.

Drew takes a deep dive into what it meant to be a bystander to his own death and figuring out who this new Drew is: a Drew that doesn't walk as well, doesn't taste or smell or see or hear as well, and a Drew that is often failing as a husband and a father as he bounces between grumpiness, irritability, and existential fury. But what's a good comeback story without heartbreak? Eager to get back what he lost, Drew experiences an awakening of a whole other kind in this incredibly funny, medically illuminating, and heartfelt memoir.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Medical, Biography Memoir, Medicine

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Drew Magary is a correspondent for GQ Magazine, a columnist for Deadspin, and a Chopped Champion. He’s also the author of four books: The Hike, The Postmortal, Someone Could Get Hurt, and Men With Balls. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three children, and enjoys taking long walks.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review The first part of the book was the author as a child, as a young man, as a middle-aged man married with a family and then The Collapse. And that's where the book that was a bit tedious until that point really took off. But it was maddening. Naturally the author couldn't tell his own story of the collapse and subsequent medically-induced coma, so it was told, very slowly, through many witnesses. Since all the writing was the same and there were so many names, I couldn't differentiate one from the other and if I hadn't been so interested in the subject I would have given up at this point. This is how it went. The capitals and brackets are the author's, the descriptive sentence is me shortening one or more paragraphs.

MEGAN GREENWELL (editor in chief, Deadspin) how the author was before the show
VICTOR JEFFREYS (colleague) how the author was before the show (another viewpoint)
BARRY PETCHESKY (deputy editor, Deadspin) how the author was before the show (third viewpoint)
HOWARD (my best friend) How the author was before the show
MATT UFFORD (friend, former colleague) missed the show
JESSE on the author getting weed candy (which he didn't eat)
CHRIS THOMPSON (writer, Deadspin) on the author drinking a beer and looking drunk
BOBBY SILVERMAN (writer, Daily Beast) on the author looking off-colour
JORGE CORONA (creative producer, Deadspin) On the author falling down
KIRAN CHITVIS (video director, Deadspin) On seeing the author fallen down
JORGE CORONA on needing to call an ambulance
KIRAN CHITANVIS on calling an ambulance
MEGAN GREENWELL On Kiran looking stricken and there being karaoke
SAMER KALAF (news editor, Deadspin) on the situation and karoake
KIRAN CHITANVIS On Victor coming in with pizzas
VICTOR JEFFREYS On coming in with pizzas
JORGE CORONA On seeing blood behind the author's head
BARRY PETCHESKY on the blood
KIRAN CHITANVIS on the author's position on the floor

And so on for another 24 messages including at least 4 new people. Eight chapters are written like this. The name of the person and what they do/their relationship to the author for the first message and then one or more paragraphs all written in the same voice. I couldn't keep anyone straight and it didn't matter anyway since they all sounded alike.

Part two is a great deal more interesting as it is the author talking about going home with brain damage, his adjustment and the deficits. Part three the same, very interesting. The two things that concern the author most are his lack of his sense of smell, and how he deals with it (smell training) and most of all the loss of hearing in one ear only. He eventually undergoes a cochlear implant which he writes about in a very detailed and interesting manner. 5 star section.

The author also discusses trying to sue first his company and then the place in which the event he was hosting and his collapse took place. As they say, a person who has himself for a lawyer has a fool for a client and the judge wouldn't even listen to the case. In the event he did get a lawyer and didn't sue anyone since he wasn't going to win. An accident is an accident. I know litigation is almost an American hobby, and since lawyers take on cases on contingency, a lot of people think it is worth a go, but the author didn't pursue it. I can't see how it was anyone's fault any way. Just something happened internally to the author which caused him to fall over and the subsequent brain damage.

The last chapter, Christmas 2019, normal life was boring. The epilogue catching the reader up on what people mentioned in the book are doing now (I had forgotten who they were) was good only because it was the end of the book.

I didn't find the book lived up to the blurb, "A fascinating, darkly funny comeback story", it wasn't fascinating and it wasn't funny. What it was, was informative, interesting and very personal. If I met the author at a cocktail party (he doesn't like the noise), talking to him would be easy, I know him already. So this book is not a sum of it's parts, it's better than that, overall it's a 4 star and recommended to anyone who might be involved in any way with someone with a traumatic brain injury.

I hope the author goes from strength to strength and lives a happy and fulfilled life and suggest he carries a bottle of Matouk's hot sauce as that will bring his weak sense of taste to life, as it did mine.
____________________

Update Test your own sense of smell https://abscent.org/learn-us/smell-tr.... I lost my sense of taste for about 6-8 months after Covid in Feb 2020. But I didn't lose my sense of smell, or I thought I didn't. I wish I'd seen this test back then. I knew I lost my sense of taste because I never use salt, and I was salting everything with the most exclusive salt in the world from a mangrove pond that has huge salt crystals in the years there is a drought after a big storm to flood it. Happens maybe once every 10 years. There is no industry for thousands of miles since our weather comes from the Sahara over 3,000 miles away, so it's very pure. You can actually taste the difference with ordinary sea or table salt. and throwing on Matouk's hottest hot sauce https://www.hotsauce.com/matouks-hot-... with abandon. Normally it takes me a year to get through a bottle, and then the cap is rusty so I throw it away. It took me only 3 months to get through a bottle.... I could feel the burn, but it was worth it to taste the food.
____________________

Notes on reading This book has 61 reviews, almost all of them are freebies, only 2 or 3 may not be. Naturally they are overwhelming glowing finding the book fascinating and no doubt 'darkly funny' as the blurb is trying to tell me that's how I must view the book. It makes sense, why would Netgalley and the publishers give away books for negative reviews? This is not to say all freebie reviewers only review positively, my friends' list has freebie reviewers who speak as they find which helps me identify new books possibly worth buying for my bookshop.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for fans of memoirs, especially medical memoirs.

Thank you to Random House for the gifted book.

The Nights the Light Went Out is the story of columnist Drew Magary’s life, especially after his traumatic brain injury when he fell and cracked his skull, causing a brain hemorrhage. Drew spends two weeks in a coma, and when he awakes, it’s a long road to recovery. I love love loved this book so much.

As soon as he can, Drew does what he knows best. He writes. It takes him two long years to recover, and he boldly shares his personal journey with the reader. I loved his sense of humor, even in the midst of this challenging journey, and I was not expecting this book to make me laugh and smile as much as it did. I also enjoyed getting to know his family.

Overall, The Night the Lights Went Out is a smoothly written memoir that’s interesting, refreshingly honest, absorbing, and completely enjoyable.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few writers make me laugh out loud as much as Drew Magary. My husband was a fan of Deadspin, where Magary used to write, and he would often share funny Magary articles with me. And I had previously read his book "Someone Could Get Hurt," which is an amusing memoir about parenting.

So we were shocked to learn that in December 2018, Drew had collapsed from a brain bleed and nearly died. "The Night the Lights Went Out" is a story of what happened before his collapse and his recovery.

I wanted to listen to the audiobook version because Drew narrated it himself. And Drew was an engaging performer, but the first third of the book is largely taken up by Drew's friends and family recounting their experiences during his coma, which didn't work as well in audiobook form. It was interesting to hear their perspective, and they all gave insight into Drew's behavior before he collapsed, but I think this section of the book would be easier to read in print.

Aside from liking Drew's writing, I had another personal reason for wanting to read his story. My mother suffered from brain tumors, and his descriptions of how it felt to recover from such a serious brain injury helped me better understand what my mother had been through. It also made me admire her grace even more, as Drew admits he was angry at the world after his collapse and was a pill to be around. I had taken for granted that my mother was patient, grateful and kind in the face of such medical obstacles, when she could have just as easily been angry and bitter. I appreciated Drew's honesty in sharing his feelings, as it reminded me again of what an amazing woman my mother was.

I would recommend "The Night the Lights Went Out" to anyone who likes stories of resilience and recovery, or if you know someone who has suffered a brain injury. And I look forward to reading whatever Drew writes next.

Favorite Passage
"It's those inexplicable facets of love that give it an eternal sheen. The people who saved me? They had always been saving me, and they're still saving me to this day. I'm still processing this — in ways both conscious and unconscious — and I suppose I always will. But that processing is more of a gift than a burden. It's a reminder of what I have, and a reminder to preserve my family's memory of me as my own. We are each other's memories. We are each other's brains. We are, forever, rewiring one another."

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first half of this memoir much better than the second. It’s about a terrifying injury and a long recovery, but the author’s voice is breezy and funny, and the humor combined with the intense events of the first half kept me enthralled. He actually tells 60 pages early on—covering the period he doesn’t remember himself—by splicing together interviews with family, friends, and doctors, which is creative and engaging.

But the second half drags out, with a tendency toward rambling. The culprit, I think, is that the memoir was written too soon to allow for the sort of reflection and understanding that would allow it to shine. It covers the first year after Magary’s brain injury, and seems to have been written the year after that, hitting the shelves less than three years after he hit the floor. So in the second half it often felt like the author hadn’t processed events enough yet to offer much insight, and sometimes he just seemed to be filling pages with mundane descriptions of family events.

His experience is truly scary, though. Magary collapsed in a hallway at a work karaoke party, and as of this publication still didn’t know what caused it: two colleagues described him as acting very drunk beforehand (though he hadn’t had many, by his standards), implying that his brain hemorrhage caused the fall, but his brain surgeon strongly believes it was not spontaneous and that “something happened”—perhaps a mystery assault, as no one saw Magary fall. At any rate, he wound up on a concrete floor with two head wounds, and after that doesn’t remember anything for two weeks… though his colleagues found him seemingly conscious within a minute and he continued talking to them for hours—if not quite coherently—as they got him to the ER and then had to fight to get him a CT scan, with doctors who wanted to dismiss him as just drunk. (Lesson: if someone appears to have a head injury, always demand a CT/CAT scan.) It turns out he had a brain bleed and would have died without intensive medical intervention, leading to two weeks in a coma.

Once awake Magary began a slow recovery, but was left with significant hearing loss (he wound up getting a cochlear implant, but that surgery caused a months-long loss of taste), lost his sense of smell, and struggled with anger issues and a sour attitude, all apparently common results of brain damage. For his sake and his family’s, I’m glad he recovered well enough to immediately write a book about it, even if literature might have been better served by a longer wait.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drew was out with some friends in NYC when he collapsed and hit his head on a concrete wall sustaining a traumatic brain injury. His skull fractured in three places and he had a subdural hematoma. They don't know if the fall caused the bleed or the bleed caused the fall but the end result was him being put in a medically induced coma for two weeks after extensive surgery to stabilize him. The first part of the book was a bit tedious as multiple people chimed in with what they saw and what they did until he woke up. I found the accounting of his recovery fascinating as he learned to walk again. Because the skull fracture damaged his right ear he was totally deaf on that side and ultimately needed a cochlear implant. I found that whole process especially interesting, not thinking that okay you just can't hear out of one ear. As a result he also lost his sense of smell and taste. It was a remarkable recovery and written with humor. I'm so glad he was able to share his story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rodale Inc for providing me with a copy.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredible story of Drew Magary about his life before, during and after a major brain hemorrhage. He was just out with collègues and suddenly falls flat. It is never exactly determined what happened. He may have had an Aneurysm or this was a result of the fall. He goes to the hospital and is very fortunate he has friends who insist he get an MRI. Initially, the hospital just thinks he drank too much and is ok to release. However, the MRI shows he has a massive brain bleed and he needs emergency surgery. At this
point, Drew is unconscious and later put into a medically induced coma.

His wife and family are finally in touch and are terribly worried. His wife, Sonia though realizes that she must be strong and advocate for her husband. My heart went out to her, having 3 children, and no guarantee about how much brain damage her husband will have. Her husband is in a medically induced coma, so at this point can not speak for himself. Many friends, colleagues, and family explain what was occurring. This is especially hard on them.

When Drew eventually starts recovery, it is not so easy. He has problems with speech, walking, and hearing. He can not remember anything except that he fell, yet of course his family does. It creates a gap that is hard to fill, yet ultimately he and his family work on it. It is miraculous he survived and it is life altering. A very good accounting of how a brain injury effects those who have it and those who are there to witness it.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to better understand people, someone who has experienced this or a person close to them, or in general interested in medical trauma. It did explain the fully the process of trauma and eventual recovery. My very best to Drew and his family.

Thank you NetGalley, Drew Magary, and Random House for an ARC of this book.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ever encounter someone who monopolizes the conversation when it veers toward physical pains and medical procedures? And your brain then becomes consumed with figuring out how to politely run away from this person who drones on and on? That’s basically my reaction to this book. High hopes dashed, and I quit listening.

Generally enjoy medical books from the doctors perspective. Not so much from the patients perspective, at least with this one. Just comment after comment about how the injury happened and various people’s reactions to the situation. Nothing very interesting.

Guess I was hoping for more of a “I drifted toward an invitingly warm light and for a brief yet epically powerful moment felt nothing but understood everything about the universe and my life’s place in it...” kind of story. Not a “People said I smelled bad after several days in a coma” sort of commentary.

Not much about brain functionality or repair, either. Again, mostly boring stuff like “Everyone was exhausted and went out for Italian and my mom doesn’t really like Italian food” banality. Or, “Everyone knew I’d be OK when I shot not one but two middle fingers in the air…” Gee whiz.

Glad the author is ok, though. But this one missed
the mark for me.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a medical memoir unlike any other. Drew Magary collapsed at an after-party in a Karaoke bar, waking up two weeks later having suffered a mysterious subdural hemorrhage, causing him to crash to concrete and fracture his skull in three places. This is the account in his own words of what happens when a person encounters a traumatic brain injury (TMI). At times hilarious and harrowing, Drew is unstinting in his descriptions of the physical insults delivered to his body, the losses (yes, plural) of several of his senses, and the long road to in some cases recovery, in some, acceptance in dealing with permanent loss. As with that of his right ear. Being a gregarious soul and a sensual lover of all life has to offer, he fights hard to regain those pleasures. But when the cerebrum is damaged, there are untoward consequences, mood swings, unexpected anger. Magary's writing is honest, vivid, informative, and what really stands out is his love for his friends, his family (what a remarkable wife is Sonia), and the knowledge that this is really a life worth preserving.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night the Lights Went Out is about Drew who made a come-back after a near fatal brain injury. It was a grueling 2 year process all during Covid too! I enjoyed this and felt every emotion there was to feel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I'd won the lotto when offered the chance to read a complimentary review copy of
The Night The Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage by Drew Magary.   You see, a few years before Drew, I too had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  His topic resonated with me.   The below extract from the blurb had me hooked and I could not wait to get started.

  In this fascinating, darkly funny comeback story, Drew takes a deep dive into what it meant to be a bystander to his own death and figuring out who this new Drew is: a Drew that doesn't walk as well, doesn't taste or smell or see or hear as well, and a Drew that is often failing as a husband and a father as he bounces between grumpiness, irritability, and existential fury. Eager to get back what he lost, Drew experiences an awakening of a whole other kind in this incredibly funny, medically illuminating, and heartfelt memoir.

Naturally having a TBI is not a pre-requisite for enjoying this book.    I'm convinced his words will strike a chord with any reader.  If you stil have your sense of smell I'll bet you take it for granted but Magary writes in such a way you will not only understand what it's like to lose it but I guarantee you'll appreciate it all the more after reading his words.  

"Smell is ethereal. Yes , in the grand scheme of things, smell is not the top dog. If you had to prioritize your five senses, smell would be dead fucking last every time, even when you factor in what it can do to your sense of taste. But when a smell hits you, it stays with you forever. Like the other four senses, smell has a direct link to your soul.

If you didn't enjoy the f-bomb in that quote you may not love this book because he swears regularly.  I got the sense that pre brain damage he was a blokey bloke; a beer swilling, sports loving, party hard kinda guy.    Afterwards he was a changed man in so many ways and what he most wanted was to get back to being the same old Drew he'd always been.    Realising this was unlikely not only made him frustrated but he had anger issues to contend with.    He was brutally honest about his faults and his limitations and described himself as grumpy with his kids, gave examples of his temper flaring and hitting out in anger.  But, I was so happy toward the end of his book as he worked through his issues.      He not only accepted this new Drew was here to stay  but managed to train his brain to stop focussing on his misfortunes and losses and instead to appreciate just how lucky he was to be alive.   And he truly was lucky!!    With help and councelling he found a level of gratitude I greatly admired.   He began expressing his gratitude and love for all those who had cherished him and given their utmost to save his life, especially his wife.  Even with his macho ways there was no hiding the love and tenderness he felt for his his wife Sonia and this was so very touching.
 
I loved this book and congratulate the author on his honesty, and his fabulous way of expressing all he went through - even with his 120+ uses of the F word (hahah yes I did count them with the assistance of the Kindle search function).    His family and work colleagues shared their personal accounts of his trauma and Magary's words were spot on in depicting his trauma and associated emotions and physical impairments.       A terrific,  easy to read work of non-fiction.

My thanks to Odette Fleming of Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars rounded up on Goodreads

[Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy medical memoirs, and I have read some of Magary's work - I specifically enjoyed his novel THE POSTMORTAL. This was an interesting and bitingly funny read. Magary was hosting the Deadspin awards, had a few beers, and was about to do karaoke when he collapsed and hit his head on a concrete floor. He lost 2 weeks of his life to an induced coma where the doctors worked on repairing his brain. He was lucky to live, but dealt with brain damage, healing, and figuring out his new life. I especially liked reading about Magary's family, and I felt like I got to know them all in this book. Hope they're all hanging in there.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook for the drive and I just found the author to be way too obnoxious and self important. While I appreciate his first hand account, I was hoping for some more interesting background on TBIs and the research behind it. The only reason I continued to listen is I had a long drive and nothing else to listen to.

[Diane Yannick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have a few more logistical complaints than indicated by 4 stars, I do not feel comfortable publicly criticizing an honest book written after a brain injury. Although my TBI was not as dramatic as Drew’s, I still have had many of the same symptoms. I know how hard it would be to put this experience into a coherent whole. So, kudos to him for fleshing out this unexpected event which challenged him yet, in the process, gave his life new meaning.

The impact of the injury on others in the family is monumental and often not fully recognized. I could feel Drew’s kids confusion as their father struggled ungracefully to regain parts of his old self. I remember being SO grumpy after being told that I would not be able to resume my career. I tried to blame others for not seeing me as capable—even though I wasn’t. Things like not being able to smell can become a tipping point into depression.

He was able to gradually regain his sense of humor. This is not easy but oh so necessary. I remain a bit prickly when I sense— even unintended—condescension. As Drew navigates each new and old challenge, I wish him only the best.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a dice roll to read this, and I hoped to find it relatable, but this guy's intense brain trauma was virtually over in a couple of months. Two weeks of a coma, two months in the hospital, a year later he's at 90% and still really cranky about it.

As someone living through a brain injury in my family, it just felt like he barely went through anything, but he was also kind of a jerk about it. And though memoirist-Drew explains how wrong patient-Drew was to be a jerk, his patience and happiness seem pretty pasted on for the end of the book.

[Matt Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHY YOUR AUTHOR SUCKS: DREW MAGARY
...

Actually Drew wrote a very compelling story about how his brain just stopped working the way it was supposed to one day and tried to kill him.

I find Drew's writing style very relatable and easy to read. His prose works for all of the styles he writes in. I particularly enjoyed the anecdotes from his friends, family & doctors delivered in this book as it gave us a look into not just what he was going through but the people around him as well.

I'm very glad that Drew has been able to recover to some sense of normalcy, as I enjoy both his Defector articles and his books. I hope he has lots of other work in him. Also as an outsider, I can appreciate the actions that he and his former Deadspin colleagues took to stand against some bad corporate governance. He tells us a bit about that story in this book but I feel that maybe there's more to tell - maybe a book similar to this one, written with his former colleagues, about some of the life at Deadspin, its most notorious stories and its death? I'd 100% buy that, just like I plan on buying this one.

[Jason Shinkunas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Drew’s writing but this book was so off the mark and so self important that it shocks me that this is so well reviewed. Why do any of us need to spend 50-100 pages reading how Drew can’t taste vanilla ice cream anymore?
At 75 pages this could have been ok. But this was ludicrous in its length and repetitive details. Even the very beginning, talking about the mundane details of how he got his dog or his wife a Christmas present…like, nobody cares. And the fact that his head is so big that he thinks people do care? Kinda shocking from Drew who usually comes across as self aware.
I never write reviews but I can’t stop thinking about how much I disliked this book in retrospect, and that I wasted time finishing it.

[Malia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only knew Drew Margary from his beloved Hater's Guide to the Williams Sonoma catalog posts every year, and I had known he'd suffered something traumatic around Christmas a few years ago. I was intrigued, and indeed there was a lot to appreciate in this memoir. The very beginning of the book was a bit of a hurdle for me, because I found its humor to be tired dad stuff in combination with overly-similed and slightly exaggerated comic prose that I find, like, unsustainable to read over the course of an entire book. But then the actual incident of the TBI happens and everything shifts.

The idea to do an oral history on your own TBI and subsequent coma is brilliant, and it's brilliantly done. Reading it is like being a fly on the wall of a hospital room bustling with medical staff and well wishers. It's emotional, it's detailed, it shows how differently people can experience the same event.

But then Drew wakes from his coma and the recovery begins, and we're back in his voice. It was a very thorough account of what it's like for someone who in the end was very lucky and acknowledges that luck/privilege. It shows how confounding the brain is. What it looks like to face something you'd really rather not. And I thought the writing was really well controlled, in that it showed a new outlook developing in real time, instead of reflecting back with an already established outlook. It landed on exactly the right amount of shmoopiness for me, which is really admirable.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

[Literary Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so taken by the author's account of suffering a traumatic brain injury that I read THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT in one sitting. Especially clever is the way the story is told from different POVs when he was in a coma. It's a sobering tale of how unsuspected bleeds can injure the brain, written with a deft and humorous touch. Highly recommended for lovers of memoirs and hilarity.

Thanks to the author, Rodale, Inc., Harmony, and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.

#thenightthelightswentout #drewmagary #rodale #memoirs #brainbleeds bookstagramcommunity

[Amanda Tang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda boring…seemed more like a journal for the author to recount the facts/timeline surrounding his accident rather than an inspirational memoir

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Drew Magary’s writing and have for a very long time, but I was deeply unsure of reading this book. My mom suffered at TBI in 2013 and still struggles sometimes with slurred speech and affect, memory lapses, and mood swings. Anyone who loves anyone with a TBI knows how hard it is to see your loved one in this state, but on the other hand, it’s pure delight to see them thrive.

I listened to The Night the Lights Went Out, and I expected to laugh and cry, and I did, especially when Megan Greenwell and Samer Kalaf took the mic (Samer has always been an especially introspective and thoughtful writer, so it’s no surprise that he’s a similar speaker). But I was particularly moved by Drew’s meditations on his situation, his ability to reflect (which sounds like a hard-won skill for him) on both what happened to him and how he has permanently changed, and his contemplations of life and death.

I also really loved the medical research Drew folded into his story, peppering info about cochlear implants, brain functionality and neurosurgery, and so on into different chapters. That elevated The Night the Lights Went Out for me from a celebrity memoir to both a memoir and an educational read, and perhaps a necesary salve for me. It’s helped to understand TBI from someone who lives with the aftereffects of one, and it helps to know I’m not alone as a caretaker. Thanks, Drew.

[Kadison MacNabb]

i don’t rate nonfiction/ memoirs just bc i don’t wanna put a rating on someone’s personal story but i will say i really did enjoy this book. reading this journey put me into a different mindset of not taking life for granted bc you never know what could happen. i got a little lost when he got into the science of it all, but overall a really great story

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing account of this prior minnesotan that was dealt a mysterious and crap hand and acknowdges the luxury of his survival. 100% recommend the audiobook for the early first-hand accounts of individuals, much better in the different voices!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. Basically, for me, the first third is an easy five ... it's gripping, terrifying, and the "oral history" style really worked for me. It helps that I was a reader of Deadspin from three months after its founding to the day the staff walked out, so I *know* (as well as one can know someone with whom they've barely interacted but whose writing they've regularly enjoyed) a lot of the people who were at that party and are interviewed for the book. The descriptions of Drew's collapse, the immediate aftermath, and his time in the hospital given by the people who were actually conscious for it are powerful and touching. His wife in particular stands out as an absolute saint.

The rest of the book is told mostly from Drew's perspective. There's a lot there to like! Drew's a talented writer and each chapter felt like a somewhat extended version of the articles he's been writing for years now. I enjoyed it, but for me it wasn't compelling as those initial chapters. So ... since that's about two thirds of the book, I went with four stars. But I'd recommend this to anyone. It's a fast read and a compelling one, and it often shines a spotlight on how poorly this country is equipped to deal with the needs of the disabled (newly or not).

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking more for a book about handling the permanent loss of cognitive and physical function, so this wasn't for me. The first third was about how he was injured and how it affected his family while he was in a coma; it was very repetitive as well as not of interest to me (I would've skipped ahead but was listening to the audiobook which makes that trickier). Then about half the book was focused on details about dealing with doctors, and (a) I was not interested in things like what kind of coffee he got and how many tries it took to get in an IV the morning of his cochlear implant, (b) I was feeling resentful that he was getting a lot more medical support than anyone I know with a disability ever has, and (c) his long-term problems were really minor but he was still a drama queen about them. The end finally had a tiny bit on the emotional aftermath, but wasn't useful to me because this guy reacts to the world in a profoundly different way than me.

[Amy Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked his book The Hike so i figured I'd read his memoir. Did not like, do not recommend.

[Nikhil Math]

Imagine you are in the middle of your life. You are married with children and a dog. You are very successful in your career. Then, suddenly, while you are hosting a work event, the next thing you are doing is waking up from a two-week coma at a hospital.

Drew Magary, the author of this book (my favorite fiction author), had that happen to him, and this is his story.

It is a wild story. Your life could be excellent. You could do everything right and help thousands of lives, and at the end of the day, it can be all taken away from you without you even knowing you are dying. Drew does not even remember passing out randomly at that work event.

He woke up disabled (and currently still is). He talks about how being disabled is a minority that anyone can join. The human body is delicate.

Life should be appreciated. We are never promised an extra minute. You might not get that extra hour to make your amends and tell your loved ones how much you love them and how proud you are of them; you have to do that right now.

Love everything life gives you. Be happy you have the opportunity to wait in long lines at the grocery store check-out.

Everything in life is a gift.

[Bonnie Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir was beautifully written, and well worth reading (in spite of all the swearing🙃). Drew Magary, writer, inexplicably fell down at a party, hit his head, and suffered a traumatic brain injury. This is his story of the experience and aftermath, peppered with constant dark humor and dad jokes. I love his sense of humor and laughed aloud multiple times, always wanting to read the funny bits aloud to my husband, even though he had literally just read the book the week before I did. Drew’s account is fascinating, and his reflections meaningful and heartfelt. He is brutally honest in his self-reflection, and it’s vulnerable and human in a way that made me root for him and his family. I highly recommend this, and also his fictional book, The Hike. That one still sits in my brain—it was disturbing in the best way.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night The Lights Went Out
By Drew Magary

As a Registered Nurse specializing in Neuroscience and brain injury, when I read about this blurb I knew I had to read it. This is a medical memoir of the life of Drew Magary from his early years pre-brain injury to the time of The Collapse, and the subsequent struggles he has had recovering from his brain hemorrhage/subdural hematoma.

I thought that the writing was very personal and harrowing about his experiences, and his ultimate survival and resilience post Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I thought that this was well written and a great learning for me as part of the medical community, as to how people recover and deal with the recovery and the challenges post TBI.

I highly recommend this medical memoir.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounding up from 4.5 stars. I wasn't familiar with Magary before picking this one up but the title and topic piqued my interest, and it ended up exceeding my expectations. I saw another reviewer who only gave it 1 star and complained about the "banality" of it, but that's exactly what I liked best about it...the more mundane and everyday but honest aspects of recovery after an inexplicable and out-of-nowhere traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the experience of and impact on his friends and family. I found it a refreshingly NOT "inspiration porn" take and a good reminder that literally any one of us could suffer a similar experience and join the ranks of the disabled in some way, shape or fashion at any time.

[Ariel Pannenborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do enjoy a good medical memoir that makes you appreciate what you have and normally take for granted. This book checks those boxes for sure. In addition, I simply liked getting to know Drew for the week I was reading his heartfelt experience of dealing with his trauma and acceptance of the new life he is creating. I was particularly touched when he wrote in ways that invoked the "lonely first grader" inside him. He admitted there was "something inside me that had always needed fixing"and is awed by the fact that others feel so lucky to have him in their life (not just him feeling lucky to have them). It's beautiful, honest and I think we can all relate and learn from him.