Today in one sitting I finished the book How Starbucks saved my life? by Michael Gill. The book is a Riches to Rags story of a man, who had it all, then lost it all and found it again. Michael Gates Gill was born in Connecticut, son of renowned New Yorker writer Brendan Gill. After twenty-five years working as a creative director at J.W.Thompson, he was fired, entering his seventh decade, he was offered a job at Starbucks.
Michael Gill makes the book interesting to read, covering his story from the day he was offered a job in Starbucks and ends it on the day he completes a year at the store on 93rd and Broadway, mixing with flashbacks from his advertising days, his kids, his affair and his brain tumour. Gill’s recall of his advertising days on how he made his best presentations start with some surprising visual or prop were interesting – shooting a bow and arrow when presenting to Military, Shooting an empty rifle at his colleague to prove how the company will never forgive mistakes, throwing a ball up in air and hitting it which went very near to the Chairman of the Airline company.
His days in Starbucks stores needing to match with the teenagers working, makes us feel for him. He starting from cleaning the toilets, getting nearly stabbed by a rude customer, his hard work during the closures and openings (I couldn’t believe that you have to do so much work in so little every time in a Starbucks store during openings & closings), his fear of working behind the cash register, though they had machines to weigh-in the currencies and coins. The last few chapters read more like a Starbucks Public Relations work, but the overall story makes us forgiving to the author.
How STARBUCKS saved my life?
The book is both a good story and inspiring for the reader. I recommend this book to be a good read.