Flat Out an unusual autobiography by Jude Czerenkowski
January 20, 2015
I was going to call this review “The return of Alvin Purple” until I realised no one remembers who Alvin Purple is anymore. For those of you not lucky enough to have been around in the 1970’s, Alvin Purple was a blockbuster Australian movie about a charming young man who was always a hit with the ladies. If you do remember Alvin Purple and if you’ve ever wondered what would happen if an Alvin Purple type of bloke had a stroke and became a non-verbal quadriplegic confined to an electric wheelchair, this book will answer all your questions.
The 1970s were a very, very different time to now and Danny Furlong is a 1970’s man, no doubt. His book “Flat Out: an unusual autobiography” certainly lives up to its title. This book left me kind of speechless, so maybe its best that I start by leaving it to Danny to describe:
Imagine yourself as a very physical guy, an ex-commando and skydiver, who has a stoke for no known reason and loses nearly everything but the functions of your mind and – thankfully – your sexuality. You awaken from a coma to a grueling, yet often funny, rehabilitation. You can’t speak; you can only move your eyes. You’ve never been an angel. You lose your marriage totally and are separated from your children. Finally, new love, and you become a parent once more. This is the true-life story of Danny Furlong’s extraordinary journey from active life to the depths of mute quadriplegia, and back to the highs of life within that quadriplegia.
This is a funny, honest and well-written book. Danny has had poems, stories and novels published, and he writes well. He meanders a bit, nicely, giving an account of life before and life after. After his stroke, he could tell that everyone was wondering if his was a life worth living; actually, he was wondering too.
Learning to communicate and finding he hadn’t lost his sexuality or his determination saw him through. Finding out that his feelings were normal, and would pass, helped too. Danny doesn’t shy away from anything in telling the story of how he regained as much as he could, including his self-respect:
Ever since my stroke I’d carried a sort of feeling of worthlessness. I’d gone from being capable at nearly everything to being totally dependent on others. I couldn’t do one single thing for myself and the white-coated experts were saying things wouldn’t get much better. I’d cry at the drop of a hat and I felt humiliatingly ashamed of being so weak, at not being able to rise above my problems. And then, in a simple five minute explanation [the neuropsychologist] banished all my fears about my ‘weakness’ and that opened the way for me to truly grow away from my ‘worthlessness’. The tears and things I was experiencing were perfectly normal after a decent stroke.
This book is entertaining, and it’s inspiring too, watching someone in a sh*t situation go for it and never, ever give up. Danny knows exactly how sh*t things are, but he works tirelessly towards a life that is as big and as messy and as interesting as anyone else’s.
Do I need to give you any more warnings on this one? There’s plenty of sex and drugs, although it could use a bit more rock and roll. If you’re easily offended, this probably isn’t for you. If you can’t help but admire a lovable rogue, then maybe it is.
“Flatout’ is available on Amazon. You can also visit www.dannyfurlong.com
The 1970s were a very, very different time to now and Danny Furlong is a 1970’s man, no doubt. His book “Flat Out: an unusual autobiography” certainly lives up to its title. This book left me kind of speechless, so maybe its best that I start by leaving it to Danny to describe:
Imagine yourself as a very physical guy, an ex-commando and skydiver, who has a stoke for no known reason and loses nearly everything but the functions of your mind and – thankfully – your sexuality. You awaken from a coma to a grueling, yet often funny, rehabilitation. You can’t speak; you can only move your eyes. You’ve never been an angel. You lose your marriage totally and are separated from your children. Finally, new love, and you become a parent once more. This is the true-life story of Danny Furlong’s extraordinary journey from active life to the depths of mute quadriplegia, and back to the highs of life within that quadriplegia.
This is a funny, honest and well-written book. Danny has had poems, stories and novels published, and he writes well. He meanders a bit, nicely, giving an account of life before and life after. After his stroke, he could tell that everyone was wondering if his was a life worth living; actually, he was wondering too.
Learning to communicate and finding he hadn’t lost his sexuality or his determination saw him through. Finding out that his feelings were normal, and would pass, helped too. Danny doesn’t shy away from anything in telling the story of how he regained as much as he could, including his self-respect:
Ever since my stroke I’d carried a sort of feeling of worthlessness. I’d gone from being capable at nearly everything to being totally dependent on others. I couldn’t do one single thing for myself and the white-coated experts were saying things wouldn’t get much better. I’d cry at the drop of a hat and I felt humiliatingly ashamed of being so weak, at not being able to rise above my problems. And then, in a simple five minute explanation [the neuropsychologist] banished all my fears about my ‘weakness’ and that opened the way for me to truly grow away from my ‘worthlessness’. The tears and things I was experiencing were perfectly normal after a decent stroke.
This book is entertaining, and it’s inspiring too, watching someone in a sh*t situation go for it and never, ever give up. Danny knows exactly how sh*t things are, but he works tirelessly towards a life that is as big and as messy and as interesting as anyone else’s.
Do I need to give you any more warnings on this one? There’s plenty of sex and drugs, although it could use a bit more rock and roll. If you’re easily offended, this probably isn’t for you. If you can’t help but admire a lovable rogue, then maybe it is.
“Flatout’ is available on Amazon. You can also visit www.dannyfurlong.com