The Autumn Balloon

By: Kenny Porpora

Narrated by: Kenny Porpora

Every autumn, Kenny Porpora would watch his heartbroken mother scribble messages on balloons and release them into the sky above Long Island, one for each family member they'd lost to addiction. As the number of balloons grew, his mother fell deeper into alcoholism, drinking away her sorrows every night in front of the television, where her love of Regis Philbin provided a respite from the sadness around her.

When their house was foreclosed upon, Kenny's mother absconded with him and his beloved dog and fled for the Arizona desert, joining her heroin-addicted brother on a quixotic search for a better life. What followed was an outlaw adolescence spent in constant upheaval surrounded by bizarre characters and drug-addicted souls.

In the wake of unspeakable loss, Kenny convinced a college to take a chance on him, and turned to the mentors, writers, and poets he found to rebuild the family he lost, and eventually graduated from the Ivy League with a new life.

Porpora's memoir is the story of a deeply dysfunctional but loving family, and follows his life from the chaos of his youth to his triumphs in the Ivy League. At times darkly comic, at times elegiac, The Autumn Balloon is a beautifully written testament to the irreplaceable bonds of family, even under the most trying circumstances, and one that marks the debut of an exciting new writer.

Great Book

this was a fabulous book! ups and downs. What a life to have lived. will recommend it to others

kenny is the man.

I'm honored to know him. Kenny is an amazing human being and I am proud of him. He had me laughing and crying. great story.

Brilliantly Written and Inspiring

Would you consider the audio edition of The Autumn Balloon to be better than the print version?

The narration of this book was brilliant, especially the dialogue. I felt like I was right there and so many times I could feel the raw emotion of the author coming through. I found myself laughing hysterically one moment and crying the next.

Any additional comments?

The Glass Castle has always been my favorite memoir but The Autumn Balloon is now right up there with it. There were so many twists and turns. At first I was so angry with Kenny's mother but as the book went on I grew to love her too.

Fantastic

I love this story and it was read fantastically. such a strong story word word word

Heartbreaking and Inspiring, and a Great Read

I had no idea what I was getting myself into before I downloaded this audiobook, I downloaded it on pure impulse. Kenny Porpora's story is quite amazing, I cried several times and I'm not an emotional person by any means. I'd find myself weeping on trains and buses as I listened during my weekday commute, I can only imagine what people were thinking. Porpora narrates his own book which ads an extra layer of magic to the whole thing. And while there are parts in the story that are heart wrenching, I was left feeling inspired at the conclusion. I hope he writes another book with that picks up what's The Autumn Balloon left off. This is my favorite audible download so far, if you're considering it, just download it already, you'll thank me later.