At first glance, the title of Michael Gates Gill's memoir begs credulity. Other than resuscitation by caffeine, it isn't easy to imagine how a behemoth such as Starbucks could actually save a life. Nor would we expect such a corporation capable or willing to assist in such tender personal business. Yet Gill's paean to Starbucks is so genuine and sincere that within the first few pages it becomes impossible to read it with a cynical eye.At the age of 64, Gill found himself sitting in a Manhattan Starbucks wondering if he could afford a latte. This privileged son of famous New Yorker writer Brendan Gill was nearly at the bottom of a reverse Horatio Alger slide. He'd been fired from the ad agency where he'd worked for 25 years; the consulting business he'd subsequently started had all but petered out; both his 20-year marriage and the affair that had ended it were over; and he'd recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. While he mulled his limited prospects, he was approached by Crystal Thompson, a young African-American woman, who asked him if he'd come to apply for a job. Why not, Gill thought. Some weeks later, he was hired and began his second act--the Starbucks way.
Gill soon learned that his new job was more physically and mentally challenging than he'd anticipated. An older white man, he quickly came to appreciate and rely on the kindness, professionalism and patience of his young, African-American co-workers as he worked his way up from cleaning to manning a cash register, and finally preparing Starbucks' famed beverages. Wisely he avoids attempts at complex social analysis, offering instead a personal commentary on acceptance, diversity and race relations as he sees them from his vantage point behind the espresso machine. Gill's portraits of his coworkers are affectionate and endearing (much more so, in fact, than the numerous name-dropping flashbacks to his high society past) and he describes the Starbucks philosophy with a Forrest Gumpian sense of awe (appropriately Tom Hanks has already signed on for the film version). For example, employees are referred to as "partners" and truly seem to believe in and practice the Starbucks ethos of respect and dignity for all. And the company pays more than lip service to its goal of community mindedness. When a district manager realized that Gill had a three-hour commute every day, he was transferred to a store within walking distance of his apartment (and let's face it, there is always a Starbucks within walking distance).
Gill is not a particularly sparkling writer and his narrative is sometimes sweeter than a double-syrup shot Frappuccino, but his utter lack of disingenuousness and very real sense of wonder at the spiritual rewards of his new life give his story a charming freshness. As for his portrait of the company that saved his life, Starbucks could not have asked for a better pitchman. There were two things I wanted after finishing this book: a grande Americano and an application. I imagine many other readers will feel much the same way.--Debra Ginsberg