“Pamela Capone must be a riot at parties. She can turn the most mundane details of a day into witty poetry, and find a way to connect it all to God’s higher plan for us. From the mini-essays in this collection, it is clear that Pam is the kind of woman you’d want in your corner when you’re in trouble to say just the right thing and help you laugh along the way…Some details of Pam’s life are repeated motifs—her adoption into an Italian-American family at a young age, her children, her charity work—but her voice, rather than her situations, really drive the stories. “–IndieReader
“Messages of faith sprinkled throughout will appeal to readers with connections to the Christian tradition, but they’re handled with subtlety, so readers of other persuasions can still enjoy the work.…Capone’s gregarious, approachable voice allows her to deftly handle a broad variety of subjects. Rather than dwelling on misery and mishaps, the collection calls attention to the glimmers of hope and humor that lie in life’s challenging moments. An upbeat, honest celebration of imperfection that makes a compelling case for the power of accepting oneself, warts and all.”— Kirkus Reviews
“Even when cracking jokes, Capone is gentle, often poking fun at herself for small offenses fed by insensitivity. As the book progresses, the author’s personality becomes its primary strength, a situation not unlike a celebrity’s or comedian’s collection, and the author’s experience with stand-up comedy may factor in. Though many vignettes also deal with serious or sad subjects, the majority cast the author’s life in a humorous light. The book’s editorial style engages with wordplay, including puns, and is at its strongest when delivering jokes. I Punched Myself in the Eye is a family-oriented book most likely to appeal to Christians. Easily read in a series of short sittings, or in one long one, this collection of short-short essays easily punches above its weight.”–Foreword Clarion Reviews
“In this engagingly written, faith-based essay collection, Pamela Capone finds the humor and grace in ordinary —and sometimes extraordinary— situations. Capone has coined the term, “messay” for her prose, a combination of “messy (informal untidy, embarrassing, difficult)” and “essay.”… More than a few of the essays are poignant and thoughtful, rather than out-and-out funny – albeit handled with Capone’s appealing light touch and conversational style… Adopted at 18 months by her foster parents, after her birth parents were charged with child neglect, Capone writes many of the essays as reverent tributes to the parents who raised her and to her birth siblings, with whom she has a special bond. She also writes about her work at a girls’ school in Guatemala and about helping in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.”—BlueInk Review