Reader reviews

  • Thank you.  I have referred your book “Getting on the Upside of Hurricanes” to Florida Division of Emergency Management for appropriate action.  Thank you again for your dedication to helping fellow Floridians.
  • I read Tony Gillen’s wonderful book today.  I haven’t laughed or cried so much in a long time!  Funny, intelligent, compassionate and humble.  I want to thank you for writing this because it not only helps people but it was so honest.  Along with all the humor you also shared fear and guilt and the gratitude for all the small acts of kindness that no-one else really talks about.  And especially not men.  I am very, very grateful for what you said.  Congratulations for writing something so full of help, humor, honesty – and I can’t think of another word beginning with H.  Oh! Hope.  And Heroism.  And Hurricanes.
  • Laugh out loud funny.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the quirkiness of the author.  While this was a devastating time Tony Gillen made it “manageable” to think back and to relive.  And it is packed with useful information should it occur.  Thank you.
  • I was absolutely enthralled.  This book is an absolute goldmine.  Well done!
  • Tony Gillen has captured the laughter, the tears and the fears. A must-read book.
  • Getting on the Upside of Hurricanes is a terrific book, showing all the emotions a person goes through during a disaster.  The fear of the unknown tops the list and this book shows what to expect and what to do about it.  It is fun to read, filled with humor and at the same time, knowledge.  Every home should have this book on its coffee table.
  • I loved this book.  It is a “Pilgrim’s Progress” for disasters, warning the “sinners” and showing them how to be “saved”. The chapter on making your family strong is perfect.  It’s something to have and use every day of the year – hurricanes, floods or not.
  • This book tells how from Hurricanes Charley’s destruction something truly special was rebuilt; a community of heroes.  While laughing and crying (often at the same time) I remembered the way everyday heroes, without maps or manuals, just kept going, kept each other going and figured it out as they went along.  And at the end of the saga heroes have a great story and a wealth of knowledge to share.  And Tony Gillen is sharing what he learned with honesty, humility, hope – and a lot of humor.
  • The chapter on People with Special Needs is excellent it really helps to make sure you have done everything.  Everyone who has a relative in need of special care should get this book and make sure it is put to use.
  • When Tony Gillen says a “Goldmine of Actions, Tips and Strategies” he’s dead right.  This is a great book and I urge everybody on the Gulf Coast and the Eastern Seaboard to buy it.  Hey EVERYBODY should buy it!
  • The book should be read by everyone and certainly those living in any state which can be affected by hurricanes.  The humor lifts your spirits and the information given for dealing with these events is worth far more than the price of the book.  It is beautifully written and once started I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.  It will be my bible when another hurricane looms on my horizon.
  • So obviously written from the heart, this very soulful, witty and downright touching memoir of Hurricane Charley is a masterpiece.  I hope that we will never forget the humanity, kindness and generosity of our neighbors, friends and strangers who travelled far to reach out to us when we needed to feel embraced.  Tony Gillen captured our emotions in the most honest way; between tears and laughter he brought me back to remember five years ago.  The Upside of Hurricanes offers serious, practical, thoughtful, educational and informational elements as well.  Thank you, Tony, for sharing so much of you in such a delightful, humble and enchanting way.
  • After reading the reviews of others I’ve decided I agree wholeheartedly with them and couldn’t say it better. This is an absolute “must read”. Thank you Tony
  • Mr. Gillen’s book was at times “laugh-out-loud” funny but at the same time it took me back to the fear and helpless feeling of living through a hurricane and its aftermath.  It was an easy read and was difficult to put down after starting it.  The last section of the book gives many helpful tips on advance preparation for any disaster and immediate preparation for an impending disaster.  I highly recommend this book to everyone whether or not they live in an area prone to hurricanes.
  • I couldn’t put it down!  The first part is just like eavesdropping on a long and very funny conversation with Tony and his family.  The intellectual throw-aways and self-deprecating humor amidst the horrors both during and after Hurricane Charley earn him well deserved praise by all his readers.  He is a writer with style and humor.
  • The second part of the book is a handbook with a difference.  EVERYTHING is here in one list.  Without talking down or being patronizing he instructs us on all the things we need to do to prepare for disasters, how to live through them and what to do in the aftermath.  Tony Gillen reveals himself as a gifted teacher in this section.  If only for this section this book is a must-have.  But it would be a pity to miss out on the compassion and humor of his story.
  • What a great book!  I own a boat and I have pets so those two chapters were written just for me!  I live in an older home so the chapter on making your home stronger was also right up my alley.  I could go on all day about how much use this book is.  I’ve been to seminars and read the handouts they give out in home improvement stores and I listen to the news anchors and meteorologists give advice in hurricane season but nothing, nothing, has given you the actual real things you got to do to get through it like this book does. It’s that good it is just that good.
  • The UK has had a lot of floods recently.  There’s nothing out there that gives you a step-by-step set of actions. This book is brilliant.  I just wish I’d had it before.  We watch television and see Florida and Louisiana get hit and we think thank heavens that doesn’t happen to us well now it has. Everybody should get this book and sleep with it under their pillow.  It’s that good.