How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Disappointing Memoir

How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live like Everybody Else is a memoir by Michael Gates Gill, former creative director for J. Walter Thompson advertising and son of late New Yorker writer Brendan Gill. The premise is that Michael went from being wealthy, happily married, and successful to losing his job (being "let go" through an apparent act of ageism) and ending his marriage (due to an extramarital affair that left him with a new child at the age of 60). As everything came crashing down around him, Michael, through an act of serendipity, or maybe fate, got a job at Starbucks. From there, he went on to learn what life is like for those who aren't born into privileged, affluent lives by experiencing the humbling nature of working a non-professional service job.

I was really excited when I found this at the used book store. The description sounded interesting and right up my alley. It had so much potential. Now, I feel bad for what I'm about to do, because Michael Gill seems like a nice, well-meaning guy; he really does. But this book was terrible. Really terrible.

I hardly know where to begin. For one, the premise falls flat. I wanted to hear some conflict and struggle, some gradual revelations brought to the surface after intense situations, a growing change that starts small and builds up. But all of these things were either clumsily executed or not executed at all.

There's a lot of interesting stuff within the premise. This could've been not just a memoir, but an intimate, personal look at racism, classism, and the power structure and hierarchy that exists in today's society. I mean, a good writer could've done it. But Michael's best attempt only lead to abrupt, awkward revelations that, rather than continuing to be addressed throughout the book, came and went with a disorienting rapidity. They felt forced and disingenuous.

For the most part, the content of this book is bubble gum-light and fluffy but not authentic or interesting. He doesn't delve into the serious issues, but rather mentions them in passing and then glosses over them. Some readers liked this book for it's fuzzy feel-good style, but I (as well as a number of other readers, according to reviews on amazon.com) thought it fit more into the trite and vapid category.

For example, you'd think that maybe he'd start off a little disgruntled and bitter about having to get a cashier's job (I mean, come on, he was a six-figure professional) so he has somewhere to go from there, but at the beginning of the book when he first gets the call that he's hired, he writes: "'Yes, I do want to work with you!' I almost yelled into my cell phone. 'I am looking forward to working with you and your great team!'" And no, he wasn't being sarcastic. Seems a little cloying? Shallow? Irritating? Well, that's basically his tone for the entire book.

There's no real growth here (despite the fact he tries to make it seem like there is) because he spends pretty much the entire time just extolling the virtues of Starbucks, his boss, the customers, and the coworkers. A better name for this book would've been "A Love Letter to Starbucks From Michael Gates Gill."

Michael seems to be completely brainwashed by Starbucks. I've had friends who've worked there, and I've heard it's a good place to work, and that's great. But the corporate speak he uses throughout the book drives me crazy. People who work there aren't called employees, they're called "partners." Those who come in for drinks aren't referred to as customers, but rather "guests." And you'll remember those terms for life if you read this book, because he repeats them over and over and over again, with great emphasis. He also talks about their way of assigning tasks: "When asking me to do something, Crystal or my other partners would always say, 'Mike, could you do me a favor?' There was never an order given." He speaks of this as though it were thoroughly indicative of politeness, respect, and an ideal working environment, but I'm of the opinion that phrases like that, especially when standardized within the workplace, are really just passive-aggressive corporate bullshit. But don't tell this to Michael, because in his eyes, Starbucks can do no wrong. What he doesn't realize is that conflict and critical thinking are what make memoirs interesting. Blind acceptance and praise is not interesting in any context, especially when it comes to writing about a job. (I guess you can take the man out of advertising, but not the advertising out of the man, huh?) I really think he could've been ultimately positive about Starbucks without being so unquestioning in his love for it. And it would've been a better book if that were the case.

And let's talk a little about Crystal. Crystal is a black woman in her late twenties, Michael's boss, and a big part of the story. This is fertile writing ground here: a previously wealthy older white man working a service job with a young black female boss. Now, Michael does get points for at least alluding a little bit to racism in his past, especially at his job, but I wish he would've explored this topic fully. Instead, as with everything else in the book, Michael rushes through the more intense, interesting topics and goes straight to the happy-shiny bullshit. From the very beginning, he goes on and on about Crystal, seeming amazed by her intelligence and beauty, and often saying things like "Crystal sure was glamourous." Now, I do believe he truly got to like her, but his fulsome praise of her frequently comes off as patronizing and condescending. In addition, his portrayal of her often makes her seem uptight, severe and rigid, and, like him, brainwashed by the corporate machinery that runs Starbucks.

Part of this has to do with the way he writes, which is badly. Very badly. I mean, did this guy even have an editor? And if so, what editor would let that fly? The dialogue, especially, was stilted and forced, mostly due to the fact that he used contractions only erratically. I find it hard to believe that he, his family, his co-workers and his customers regularly spoke without contractions. Some examples: "Sit here, I will bring you a sample." "Mike, I am going to show you how to really clean a bathroom." "She is only three." "You are doing a great job at connecting this morning." In addition, the dialogue throughout the book is completely homogenized, so nobody really has their own voice. They all speak with the same stilted cadence, with only the content of their speeches to differentiate them. I can't believe this guy's dad wrote for the New Yorker.

Amidst the ridiculous Starbucks love-fest and terrible dialogue, Michael inserts random anecdotes about his children. These are often the kind of stories only a family friend or someone who knew the children would care about or find interesting. Otherwise, they're just boring time-wasters that seem to be a product of his guilt for not spending enough time with his children during the first 60 years of his life. Of course, the other anecdotes are worse...

Michael often makes wild associations between something happening at Starbucks and experiences in his life where he hangs out with famous people. This guy loves to name drop! Throughout the book, he manages to mention Jackie Kennedy, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, and Muhammad Ali, among others. I guess one could make the case that he's using such a device to contrast his previous life of wealth and importance to his current, humble existence, but really, it's done in such a way that it just comes off as ridiculous, self-serving name dropping. Often, the anecdotes feel haphazardly stuck in wherever there's the slightest opening. It gets very tiring.

The ridiculous thing is, after working there for...it couldn't have been that long, Michael got a book deal (despite the fact that he can't write), and if that's not enough, shortly thereafter the film version of the book (starring Tom Hanks) was announced. How humbling, to have a book published and made into a film starring Tom Hanks. Gee, he must have really learned what it's like to live like someone without all the privileges he grew up with. Give me a break!

Ultimately, the simplistic style of this book makes it seem as though it's a children's or young adult book. Maybe it would be appropriate in a junior high class. Or, as a friend of mine suggested, maybe it could work as ESL (English as a second language) reading. Or maybe it's true what some of the reviewers on amazon.com think: it's just one big, clever advertisement for Starbucks. Then again, those people are probably just conspiracy theorists. But the fact remains: this book is overly-simplistic, poorly written, and lacking any real profound insights and revelations. What a disappointment.