Charles Reis Felix was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, one of four children of Portuguese immigrant parents. Felix's name on his birth certificate is the Portuguese "Carlos," but as a child he was referred to as "Charley." Felix grew up during the lean years of the Great Depression and graduated from New Bedford High School in 1941. He studied at the University of Michigan from 1941—43, until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

After the war, Felix continued his undergraduate education, receiving a B.A. in History from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He became an elementary-school teacher and spent 31 years in the classroom, while returning to Massachusetts for family visits on occasion.

Felix's work interweaves autobiography, historical narrative and fiction to depict the human experience. Felix's first book, Crossing the Sauer, was an account of his three months as a combat infantryman from January through March, 1945. Crossing the Sauer was hailed by Paul Fussell as "one of the most honest, unforgettable memoirs of the war I've read."

His second book, 2004's Through a Portagee Gate, depicts his upbringing in New Bedford, and describes a relationship between the author and his father, Jose or "Joe" Felix, that resonates with many individuals of Portuguese ancestry in the United States. In fact, the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth presented a theatrical play version of Felix's book on his birthday in 2006, much to the delight of the author.

Felix's third book, "Da Gama, Cary Grant, and the Election of 1934," dealt with local politics amid the ethnic enclaves of New Bedford, Massachusetts. In the book, Felix describes the candidacy of a Portuguese-American for local office, and his attempts to unseat the "All-American," Yankee incumbent.

Felix's most recently published book is "Tony: A New England Boyhood."

Charles Reis Felix is married to his wife, Barbara Felix, and has two grown children. As of 2007, the author and his wife live together in a cabin among the redwoods of northern California.