Our next book for discussion is How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill. We will meet on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. Chris will lead the discussion.
Here is a three-minute video with the author, Michael Gill Gates:
Karen found a descriptive and informative nine-minute video with Gill:
Below is a book description followed by discussion questions.
Book Description
Michael Gates Gill Author:
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else Nearing retirement, Michael Gates Gill lost it all. A Yale-educated ad exec making six figures, Gill was let go from his job (ostensibly for being old), saw his marriage disintegrate, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 63, desperate and without health insurance, he found redemption and a new sense of purpose where he least expected: behind the counter of a Starbucks. Gill tells his story in How Starbucks Saved My Life, an instant bestseller that has struck a chord with a large segment of middle aged and older Americans -- and which will soon be a film, starring Tom Hanks.
Late in life, unemployed, and seemingly unemployable, Michael Gates Gill, an "old, opinionated white guy," becomes a barista and sees his old world slowly fall away, for the better. In his unforgettable talks, Gill shares his uplifting tale of personal transformation and the lessons he walked away with: the inherent value of hard work; being open to new possibilities, whatever your age; learning from people who are different from you; the fact that, deep down, differences matter less than what we have in common. Gill's varied work experience -- from being a creative director at a famous ad firm to working for an hourly wage as the only older white male alongside younger African-Americans -- also gives him unique insight into many of today's hot button workplace issues: racism, ageism, classism, boomer concerns, and corporate accountability. He speaks with humility, gratitude, and good humor about his fall from grace, and the new -- better -- person he has become because of it.
Gill is the son of famous New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, and, growing up, his social company included the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jacqueline Onassis. Today, he lives in a simple apartment, close to his Starbucks; he counts himself lucky and blessed: he learned what really matters, at a late age, from his new boss and colleagues, people he would never have met in his old life.
Michael Gates Gill Author:
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else Nearing retirement, Michael Gates Gill lost it all. A Yale-educated ad exec making six figures, Gill was let go from his job (ostensibly for being old), saw his marriage disintegrate, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 63, desperate and without health insurance, he found redemption and a new sense of purpose where he least expected: behind the counter of a Starbucks. Gill tells his story in How Starbucks Saved My Life, an instant bestseller that has struck a chord with a large segment of middle aged and older Americans -- and which will soon be a film, starring Tom Hanks.
Late in life, unemployed, and seemingly unemployable, Michael Gates Gill, an "old, opinionated white guy," becomes a barista and sees his old world slowly fall away, for the better. In his unforgettable talks, Gill shares his uplifting tale of personal transformation and the lessons he walked away with: the inherent value of hard work; being open to new possibilities, whatever your age; learning from people who are different from you; the fact that, deep down, differences matter less than what we have in common. Gill's varied work experience -- from being a creative director at a famous ad firm to working for an hourly wage as the only older white male alongside younger African-Americans -- also gives him unique insight into many of today's hot button workplace issues: racism, ageism, classism, boomer concerns, and corporate accountability. He speaks with humility, gratitude, and good humor about his fall from grace, and the new -- better -- person he has become because of it.
Gill is the son of famous New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, and, growing up, his social company included the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jacqueline Onassis. Today, he lives in a simple apartment, close to his Starbucks; he counts himself lucky and blessed: he learned what really matters, at a late age, from his new boss and colleagues, people he would never have met in his old life.
Discussion Questions
1. “Work is dignity” could be the mantra of Mike and his Starbucks co-workers. How did Crystal instill this philosophy in Mike? How do the other Partners show Mike the same example?
How does this apply to your life?
2. At first, Mike uses the chance to “detail the bathroom” as an excuse to avoid running a cash register and interacting with Guests. How does he overcome his fear of inadequacy and failure? In the book he says he “spent most of his life trying not to fail.” Who is he afraid of failing? What are some basic jobs you would be afraid to do?
3. Mike worked in advertising a long time, with the goal of inducing people to buy a product. Do you think that has affected the way he writes? Is he trying to sell something with this book? If so, do you think he has succeeded?
How much of “Starbucks’ do you think is factual, and is that important to the book or to your reading of it?
Three months ago, in what the talk show host termed a "radical departure," Winfrey announced that "A Million Little Pieces," author James Frey's nonfiction memoir of his vomit-caked years as an alcoholic, drug addict, and criminal, was her latest selection for the world's most powerful book club. In an October 26 show entitled "The Man Who Kept Oprah Awake At Night," Winfrey hailed Frey's graphic and coarse book as "like nothing you've ever read before. Everybody at Harpo is reading it. When we were staying up late at night reading it, we'd come in the next morning saying, 'What page are you on?'" … The 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw "wanted in three states."
Another book written by a reporter as an autobiography, was researched by the author as a ‘biography’ of his life, and he states that observers report on a life he led much different than the one he remembered and would have written about.
Thanks to Chris and Karen for their contributions to this post.
Looking forward!
Looking forward!
How did his daughter impact in a huge part of the book?
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