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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Now in paperback, the national bestselling riches-to-rags true story of an advertising executive who had it all, then lost it all—and was finally redeemed by his new job, and his twenty-eight-year-old boss, at Starbucks.
In his fifties, Michael Gates Gill had it all: a mansion in the suburbs, a wife and loving children, a six-figure salary, and an Ivy League education. But in a few short years, he lost his job, got divorced, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. With no money or health insurance, he was forced to get a job at Starbucks. Having gone from power lunches to scrubbing toilets, from being served to serving, Michael was a true fish out of water.
But fate brings an unexpected teacher into his life who opens his eyes to what living well really looks like. The two seem to have nothing in common: She is a young African American, the daughter of a drug addict; he is used to being the boss but reports to her now. For the first time in his life he experiences being a member of a minority trying hard to survive in a challenging new job. He learns the value of hard work and humility, as well as what it truly means to respect another person.
Behind the scenes at one of America’s most intriguing businesses, an inspiring friendship is born, a family begins to heal, and, thanks to his unlikely mentor, Michael Gill at last experiences a sense of self-worth and happiness he has never known before.
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Michael Gates Gill | | Paperback: | 272 pages | | Publisher: | Gotham | | Publication Date: | September 02, 2008 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 1592404049 | | Product Length: | 7.13 inches | | Product Width: | 5.02 inches | | Product Height: | 0.72 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.43 pounds | | Package Length: | 7.01 inches | | Package Width: | 4.49 inches | | Package Height: | 0.87 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.44 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 84 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 84 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 81 found the following review helpful:
 Gill still doesn't get it Nov 03, 2008
By M. Douglas
"M. Douglas"
This is a quick, easy read. It is relentlessly positive and borders on corporate PR for Starbucks. I do give the auhtor great credit for his enthusiasm and embracing a corporate culture and hard work even when it might have been embarrassing or difficult.
I came away, ultimately, with a tremendous respect for Starbucks, but not much regard for Michael Gates Gill.
His great tale of being a normal working man came after he had no one to support but himself. I saw his Starbucks adventure as a second adolescence for him -- just him, his chosen path, and no other responsibilities. Was this really that different than his self-indulgent career at the advertising agency and the absentee fatherhood it brought with it? The author seemed to miss this parallel entirely.
The author's great tale of personal victory came after he had already cheated and failed his family. How do you not tell your wife you're having a baby with another woman until after it's happened? Gill talked endlessly of the steps Starbucks took to respect its employees, but the steps he took to mend things with his family -- talking to them for a few minutes when they visited his store, seeing his son play lacrosse a couple times a year, emailing his daughter now and then -- seemed to fall far short of the standard Starbucks set for interpersonal relationships. Gill's coworkers showed Gill more respect and care than Gill showed his own family. He was never apologetic about his absenteeism and infidelities, citing his sexual needs and a cold marriage in an off-hand manner, as if that was plenty of explanation. At least he managed to feel sorry on a basic level about the apathy he had shown for his children's lives, but that was as far as his reform managed to get.
I don't go to Starbucks, so I have no rooting interest. But I came away from this book with a solid respect for their organization and the way they treat their employees. I wish I could say the same for the author.
20 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 The Dignity of Work May 01, 2009
By D. Rowe
I loved this book! It was very easy to read and I love true stories. The author lost everything; his job, home, wife, etc. and started over at the bottom accepting a job in retail at Starbucks. Over the months he developed caring friendships with his coworkers, customers, and adult children while learning new job skills 'beneath' his former high-level position. Mike redeemed himself after making some very poor choices and learned valuable life lessons about respecting others and the dignity of work. A great story about a work ethic that is rarely on display nowadays and the resulting pride and self-respect of a job well done. This is a keeper on my bookshelf; I'll read it again.
45 of 56 found the following review helpful:
This book could have been better, rather than meh Feb 27, 2009
By Danielle George
"book bug"
When I picked this book up and first started reading it, I thought I would really enjoy it. It's about a former rich high and mighty ad exec losing his job and having to work at Starbucks and realizing he actually likes it. And the parts of the book where he was learning to be humble and appreciate the little things in life, and work with people different than him were very enjoyable to read. But sadly, each chapter would have a flash back of his rich arrogant life, with no reason or purpose, and he would shamelessly name drop. He might be rushing to the train to get to his starbucks shift on time, and it will for some reason, cause him to recall the time he worked with Jackie O for a fundraiser, and she personally thanked him because he saved the day. Or another time he is talking to a co worker who is having tea, and this makes him want to write for 3 pages about the time he met the Queen of England, and how impressed she was with him. That and his cheesy sales tactics he loves to talk about...you know, the kind smarmy motivational speakers use, really knocked the book down quite a bit. I ended up flipping past several pages a chapter. But again, when he was his new humble self, i enjoyed reading about his adventures. But how humble is your new self when your book, which is entirely about how humble and happy you are in your small life is about half filled with celeb name dropping and achievements galore?
13 of 16 found the following review helpful:
So many things didn't ring true Oct 20, 2009
By Rosalind I
Read it, put it down, and said, "I don't buy it." Here are the things that didn't ring true for me:
1) Michael Gates Gill comes from an extremely wealthy family. His father died in 1997. He must have left an estate worth many millions of dollars. Even split among several kids, Michael had to have inherited big money.
2) What American of that class does not have ANY 401(k)or investment income?
3) I believe NY has no-fault divorce. Even if he felt guilty about his affair, I doubt his wife got EVERYTHING--and what they had was a lot. If she got a multi-million-dollar house, he had to get a lot as well.
4) He still eats at the Oyster Bar and goes to his accountant, who tells him not to eat at the Oyster Bar. Tip: people living on Starbucks money don't have accountants. He went to his acct. because he has money to manage.
5) He says he needs to get insurance for his young son. But the mother is a doctor. I suspect that kid is covered.
6) Nobody loves Starbucks this much. The paean to Starbucks is way over the top.
Bottom line, here's an ad executive who wasn't making the money or getting the praise he was used to. He probably was very down. But it sure seems to me like he decided to take a low-paying job and write a book about what that was like. For a much better look at how people who do this kind of work actually live and work, I recommend Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed."
He also lets himself off the hook with regard to his lack of fatherhood mighty easily. He "tried" to see his young son "several times a week," but he gave Starbucks "total availability." Has he learned any lesson at all about not living for your work? Because that sure seems like what he does with Starbucks--just for less money.
All the reviews that say, a must for any executive, etc., make me think that there must be a lot of people who've never had any lower-level jobs or been out there looking. I don't need this book to know that lower-level jobs are often harder than high-level ones, and that there is dignity in doing one's best no matter what the job is. Thank goodness.
Bottom line: I didn't care for him, and I don't believe in the underlying "truth" of this book.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Redemption as a barista Jun 04, 2010
By Joshua P. OConner
"Josh O'Conner"
Starbucks tends to get a bad rap when it comes to its effect on our communities and our social lives often viewed as a corporate Satan hell bent on destroying our way of life. Michael Gates Gill has another point of view. After being forced out of a career working as a ranking member within the corporate hierarchy, Gill finds himself out of luck and running low on business prospects. He ends up in a Starbucks and waywardly steps into a position as a 64 year old barista.
Gill's story follows his own path learning the treacherous ropes of the coffee trade and reflects on his transformation from cruel corporate lackey to an enlightened employee who throws himself into a job he never would have wished on himself before. While at times How Starbucks Saved My Life comes off as Starbucks propaganda, Gill's transformation is very genuine. Starbucks places him into the harsh world that he has somehow avoided during his rather privileged life.
How Starbucks Saved My Life holds nothing back. Gill readily confesses the mistakes he has made throughout his life and looks for a way to pay his penance. His interaction with customers and his fellow employees shows how fulfilling life can be when we are not caught up in the pursuit of a career or a better life. Gill's account is sometimes painful as he reveals his past sins and the tragedy of the sacrifices he chose during his former life. How Starbucks Saved My Life provides an unparalleled perspective into the things that are truly important in life and reminds the reader what they might be missing or could miss if they don't place their focus in the right place.
See all 84 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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