Inspiration comes in different forms and, in the case of Don Ake, a scrawny turkey. In his humorous memoir, Turkey Terror at My Door! Misadventures and Memoirs of a Middle-Aged Man, Don gives his humorous take on the seemingly ordinary things and provides his perspectives that will make you say, “hmmm,” “wow,” and “hahaha.” At times he can be serious, like when he expounds why he is crazy about culture and unravels the truth behind the invention of yoga and why it is discriminatory to the horizontally challenged. Yet, even in his moments of seriousness, you find yourself grinning at his idiosyncratic takes. This memoir is an anthology of his blog writings that reflect Don’s penchant for writing about topics that he finds personally frustrating and confusing, from which he tries to draw meaning as he considers life to be both humorous and difficult.

Don Ake is at his best regaling audiences with stories of turkey invasions or discussing the subtleties of popular culture that confound him. But his middle-aged perspective factors in shaping his reaction to all his experiences. If his humor reveals the typical woes of a clueless middle-aged guy, he is not alone and he would probably find readers (like me) to join him in taking a step toward common ground. He is not limited to being humorous. Some of his pieces reflect introspection and criticism and Turkey Terror at My Door will not be the last book that will sum up his reaction to contemporary trends. Don Ake proves to be the archetypal humorist who can make readers laugh as he pokes fun at himself.

Turkey Terror at My Door! Misadventures and Memoirs of a Middle-Aged Man is a humorous book written by Don Ake. Based on Don Ake’s online blog, each chapter reveals all of the latest and not-so-recent happenings in the life of this multi-talented author, former male model and unlikely sex symbol to turkeys. The author reminisces about life lessons in language, surgical procedures, men vs. husbands, the good and bad of social media, researching his family tree, and much more. On reading each chapter, I felt well rewarded in the knowledge, the smiles, and the laughter that I gained from start to finish.

I was excited to read Don Ake’s new book, planning to do so over the period of about a week or so but oddly enough, I found that I was unable to put it down once I’d started. This was not so startling to me as both of Don’s previous books had quickly gained my full attention. Not only did Turkey Terror at My Door! cause me to think about the differences of modern technology, attitudes and the way in which we function in society (versus 50 years ago), but it also took me from in-depth thought to convulsive laughter within seconds of each other in the process. Not only did I find Turkey Terror at My Door! to be extremely well-written, but I also recommend it to all readers over the age of 15 years so that it can rekindle each reader’s own fond memories of the years gone by as well as creating hilarious new literary memories in the process.