The Brand New Catastrophe

A Memoir

By: Mike Scalise

Narrated by: Mike Scalise

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Raucous family memoir meets medical adventure in this heartfelt, hilarious book exploring the public and private theaters of illness.

After a tumor bursts in Mike Scalise's brain, leaving him with a hole in the head and malfunctioning hormones, he must navigate a new alien world of illness maintenance. His mother, who has a chronic heart condition and a flair for drama, becomes a complicated model as she competes with him for the status of "best sick person". The Brand New Catastrophe is a moving, funny exploration of how we define ourselves by the stories we choose to tell. And here, in audio, Scalise tells his stories directly to the listener, bringing added depth and unmatched sincerity to this very personal story.

Mike Scalise's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Agni, Indiewire, The Paris Review Daily, and elsewhere. He has received fellowships and scholarships from Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and the Ucross Foundation and was the Philip Roth Writer in Residence at Bucknell University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

The Brand New Catastrophe is the winner of the Center for Fiction's Christopher Doheny Award, which recognizes excellence in writing about serious illness. The prize was created by Audible in honor of Chris Doheny, a long-time employee who lost his battle with cystic fibrosis in 2013.

Cover design by Oliver Munday.

©2017 Mike Scalise (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A very funny book about the frailties of the flesh, the absurdities of modern medicine, and how to stay sane amid it all. Scalise's voice is fantastically entertaining, unfailingly honest." (Dave Eggers, author of A Hologram for the King and Heroes of the Frontier)

"An offbeat, witty memoir.... Scalise is unsparing in recounting his reaction to his diagnosis while keeping the reader engaged in a story about catastrophe… Sensitive and well-written." (Publishers Weekly)

"Fascinating and engaging.... Scalise's narrative verve and brisk prose create a winning chronicle of illness, recovery, and "courageous defiance." A frankly written debut memoir that captures all the fright of a medical calamity and the humor and grace necessary to survive it." (Kirkus Reviews)

Bless Mike's resilient heart!

Any additional comments?

The world needs more Mikes. He just keeps going forward no matter what. Failure is never an option even if it means standing out more than the bride, and not in a good way, in a group wedding photo.

Excellent narration

I enjoyed the book thoroughly, the perceptions, the wit, the progression of the narrative. But in addition to the excellent story/memoir, I was particularly impressed with the effectiveness of the author's own voice. I can't imagine anybody else doing a better job.

Interesting

However, the ending is not good. It just ends. No prophetic saying or anything. Story is told about a period in the life of a man with a brain tumor and his family including a mother who has terrible heart disease yet continues to smoke and guzzle wine.. everyone knows you have to stop at the mention of heart issues.
Sort of depressing. Brain tumor is well described as are his symptoms.
Hope he is better..

really great

personal story. mike scalise does a good job narrating his tail of acromegaly. glad a bought and listened

Interesting, but for how long?

Having known two brothers with Meglomania and another with a brain tumor I thought this story would expand my sympathetic viewpoint that is closer than the average.

I did indeed learn more about a first person view of the struggle. But I also experienced the struggle to stick with the audiobook. The author may have been better served by using a different narrator as the monotone put me to sleep occasionally.

I struggle with two dibilitating chronic diseases so I get the self absorbtion it takes to cope. But on and on it droned. We learned little, after hours of listening, about a story beyond detail after detail of what people in the author's life looked, spoke, annoyed, appeared to him. If only the scope was broader....

hated this book

Would you try another book from Mike Scalise and/or Mike Scalise?

I don't think so

Has The Brand New Catastrophe turned you off from other books in this genre?

YES

Would you be willing to try another one of Mike Scalise’s performances?

If it was free

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Brand New Catastrophe?

I did not finish the book--20 minutes was all I could take

skip it

the author is whiny and his narration is stilted. We couldn't make it past the third chapter.

A terrible waste of time and money.

I am shocked this book won an award. The story of his journey with a rare disease could have been inspiring or uplifting; however it was just hours of jumbled rambling. His medical history that is interesting could have been told in about thirty minutes. I know audible is advertising this book as an excellent insight to the life of someone with a medical condition. I am honestly reviewing this book, so I will admit that I also have had a pituitary tumor. Having gone through many similar things the author describes, it was a huge let down to have listened...waiting to feel a connection with the author. I am not sure why he decided to narrate the book himself, but it is as bad as the content. His voice is monotone with no inflection and no passion about his own story. My husband asked me several times to please turn it off when he was home because of his extreme dislike of the author's voice. Also if you haven't had a pituitary tumor you will not understand what he is talking about when referring to procedures, medications, and adrenal crisis, which he says he has had but never explains what or why it is important. I know i have been harsh but please save your time, money, or credit for something else.