October 22, 2009: Page Turners 7 p.m.

Book: How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill

Discussion:

We had two new members join us this month for our discussion of How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill. The book was well received by the group members. Ten of them voted thumbs up, two voted sideways, and one abstained pending completion.

As the meeting began we launched right into the main theme of the book, happiness. One group member remarked that many times throughout the book Gill seemed surprised to discover that he was happy. It was as if he thought his high-power advertising position, wealth, prestigious peers, and even his marriage were prerequisites for contentment. Yet, he found joy in his Starbucks job, his young son, and the beginning of reconciliation with his older children. He even mentioned a growing fondness for his attic apartment, a big change from the mansion he once resided in.

One member stated that it was Mike’s relationships with his peers that showed what a change he made in his life. During his tenure at the Starbucks store at 93rd and Broadway, Mike ran into to a couple of his former work and school acquaintances. He also observed many men resembling the type of man he used to be, dressed in designer suits heading to corporate offices. Some of these men Mike connected with, like his friend Benjamin from Yale. Others he seemed to feel uncomfortable around, as if they reminded him too much of his former life.

At this point one Page Turner announced that she had made a list of all the famous people Mike claimed to have met in his life. The list is quite long and includes Jacqueline Kennedy, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Frank Lloyd Wright, Queen Elizabeth II, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, who he threw apples at, and Muhammad Ali. We agreed that Mike was quite a name dropper.

Although he did not express any intimidation when writing about these celebrity encounters, Mike was intimidated by other things, particularly the technology at Starbucks. At the beginning of the book Mike worried that his diminished hearing would hamper him in completing drink orders and feared the infamous contraption known as the cash register. For the first few weeks Mike routinely avoided register duty by cleaning everything in sight, particularly the restroom. Eventually, Mike did have to learn to work the cash register and to make drinks, and in doing so he discovered another thing he was good at, interacting with the customers. The public relations skills he employed in the advertising world and his own gregarious nature served Mike well at the Starbucks counter. He soon got to know several customers by name and beverage and enjoyed becoming a part of their days.

This mention of PR skills led us into a discussion of the Starbucks mantra. Customers are customarily referred to as guests, and staff members are known as partners. Managers and partners rarely command or order each other to do anything. Instead they ask if someone can "do [them] a favor". We also remarked on how Starbucks treats its part-time staff members. Usually people who work less than forty hours per week receive little or no benefits. At Starbucks, even part-time workers are eligible for health insurance; one of the reasons Mike accepted a job there. One of the Page Turners told us about an acquaintance of hers who was diagnosed with a serious illness but had no insurance. She was advised to get a part-time job at Starbucks because it is one of the fastest providers of insurance to its employees.

The question of Mike’s health is one that concerned me throughout the book. Before he met Crystal and interviewed for the job, Mike was diagnosed with a small tumor in his brain. His doctors recommended that he have surgery to remove the tumor, but at the time Mike did not have insurance. He took the job at Starbucks hoping to rectify that situation so that he could have the operation. However, he rarely mentioned this medical condition once he began the job. Near the end of the book Mike went to the doctor for a check-up, only to find out the tumor had not greatly increased in size. Due to his fears of going under the knife he decided to continue his wait and see approach. As the book moved closer to its conclusion I kept wondering whether or not Mike was going to have his surgery, one of the main reasons he took the Starbucks job, but he never did.

This issue with Mike’s insurance got me thinking about the title. There are three different ways to interpret its meaning. First, Mike could be referring to the health insurance the job provided him with which would enable him to get the needed brain operation. However, since he never got the surgery, at least during the period of time the book covers, we can assume he may have been referring to something else. One night a customer who did not want to leave threatened Mike with a knife when he confronted him. Luckily, Kester, another partner at the store, stepped in before anyone got hurt, thereby saving Mike’s life. This could be another interpretation of the title, although if Mike had not taken the job to begin with he might not have been there for the man to threaten. There is a third possible interpretation of the title, the idea that Starbucks saved Mike’s life by teaching him that money and position are not everything, releasing him from his prejudices, and allowing him to grow as a person. As this final analysis goes along with the book’s lightheartedness and feel-good appeal our group agreed that it is likely the correct one.

At this point the conversation took an anecdotal turn. We each told tales of coffee addiction, Starbucks tastings, and experiments with homemade Frappuccinos until the meeting ended. Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, were also distributed. Next month’s meeting will be held a week early, on November 19, to accommodate the Thanksgiving holidays.