The Paris Wife (Paula McLain)

The Paris Wife was recommended to me as a non-fiction.  And it is, somewhat.  We could probably more accurately say “based on a true story.”  Generally, it’s the biography of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, told in her voice.  Still, the author cannot possibly have been privy to all the detailed goings-on in Hadley’s mind as written, so she offers this disclaimer: “Although...people who actually lived appear in this book as fictional characters, it was important for me to render the particulars of their lives as accurately as possible, and to follow the very well documented historical record.”  So I in turn give you, my readers, this disclaimer of my own:  While I admit that I may have mildly cheated in allowing The Paris Wife as my non-fiction, I accept that the main events are factual, and I therefore choose to be graceful to myself and let it slide.

If you’re not into art and literature, the story itself is thoroughly compelling as it describes Hadley and Ernest’s immediate fixation on one another, their ill-advised long-distance courtship, their passionate marriage, mostly in poverty, and finally the fatal love triangle in 1920’s-era bohemian Paris.  If you’re at all familiar with the literary scene of that time and place, you’ll love the intimate and dirty little look at not only the Hemingways, but also at the greats with whom they socialized, people like F. Scott Fitzgerald and his loony wife, Zelda, Gertrude Stein and her lesbian partner, Alice, along with plenty and diverse mistresses and scorned lovers.

McLain portrays Ernest Hemingway fairly, I think, not as a hopeless drunk or a lecherous slimeball.  Instead, she illustrates alcohol’s role as a social fixture and mutual coping mechanism, and discloses Ernest’s depressed and desperate mindset and as he grapples with his affection for both Hadley and his eventual second wife, Pauline, in an environment where monogamy is not the norm.

This text had me so intrigued with Ernest that, when I finished, I decided to chase it with a selection from his short stories.  I found “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” in an anthology on my shelf and went into it blindly.  Be warned:  If you’re as mush-hearted as I am, don’t do what I did.  Don't read this right before bed.  Why not?  Because a big game hunt goes terribly, terribly wrong.  Hemingway’s trademark sparse and brutal treatment will demand at least an hour of nerve-regathering.  Best read it by broad daylight.

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The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)

I had never read this book before.  I know, I know - shame on me!  (I’ve never seen the movie either, but that’s forgivable, right?)  Several months ago, I saw The Grapes of Wrath on one of those lists of books everyone ought to read, and as an American bibliophile in general and a Steinbeck fan specifically (East of Eden is one of my all-time faves), I felt guilty and ordered it from Amazon.  Now, after Steve Martin and Howard Schultz, it was time for one of the greats.

I won’t wax verbose with plot summary because you likely know the gist already.  In short, Steinbeck illustrates the struggles of migrant workers during the Great Depression via the Joad family, share croppers in Oklahoma who are forced off their land during the Dust Bowl.  They load up the jalopy Beverly Hillbillies style, and the whole famdamily heads to California to pursue the widely advertised work and good wages.  When they arrive, they discover that work is elusive, wages are paltry, and the socio-political climate is hostile.

Despite the straight and relatively surprise-free plot line, the characters’ll catch ya.  Steinbeck draws them expertly and empathetically, and his control over the Okie dialect is so perfect, you hear them.  The intermittent descriptive chapters, largely in Steinbeck’s own gorgeous prose, are so poetic that I took to reading them aloud.

Considering some of our current political debates, the remembrance of this history is especially relevant.  The migrants’ plight somewhat parallels the situation faced by many of today’s “undocumented workers.”  You may be inspired to revisit your own ideas on illegal immigrants.  The Joads’ story may also broaden your thoughts on labor unions.  No matter how you feel about unions today, if this story is at all accurate, you’ll see how essential they were, at least initially, to US economic progress.  And the theological viewpoints in the book may get you thinking about the role religion plays in modern international hostilities.

Rarely when I finish a book do I gape at the last page and say, Wow.  This time, I did.  The final scene of The Grapes of Wrath is so poignant, so repulsive and beautiful, so hopeless and hopeful.  Don’t worry - no spoilers here.  But if you haven’t read it already, don’t peek!!

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Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul (Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon)

You may know that, as a rule, I alternate my reading selections between fiction and non-fiction.  You may also know that my daughter works at Starbucks.  Those two bits of trivia dictated my decision to read Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul.  I assure you, this book was never on my Amazon Wish List, so here’s how it happened:

When Onward was released, Starbucks gave a "Special Partner Edition” to each employee.  In turn, my Blessed-Precious gifted it to me.  Having just finished Steve Martin’s Shopgirl (fiction), it was time for a non.  And there sat Onward on my bookshelf, one of only two unread non-fictions. The other was a mountain climbing story, and since I’d read Three Cups of Tea not terribly long ago, I wasn’t up for another high-altitude adventure.

I admit that I approached Onward with a decided dearth of enthusiasm.  First of all, I’m ambivalent at best about coffee, and big business doesn’t make the short list of things I care deeply about.  Nevertheless, here’s the gist: 

Howard Schultz is the founder and ceo of Starbucks.  (The executives don’t capitalize their titles - a gesture of humility, I suppose.)  When he stepped back from that role in 2000 for several years, taking on a chairmanship instead, he was initially pleased with the continued health and growth of his company under the new leaders.  Then came the Great Recession.  Starbucks’ stock value declined alarmingly, but Schultz was convinced that the company’s woes did not strictly result from the economic downturn.  He observed several disconcerting operational and leadership issues, and in order to redirect the company, he returned as ceo in 2008.  This book details how Schultz stepped away from company growth strategies and focused instead on improving the product, the company image, and the customer experience in order to make Starbucks profitable again.

Schultz’s timbre is that of a parent and a pastor.  Starbucks is his baby, and the world is his mission field.

The Frustrated Father:  Schultz tells humbling stories of Starbuck’s misadventures and even his own “parenting” faux pas.  For example, Starbucks discontinued in-store bean grinding for a while in order to operate more efficiently.  Of course, this lessened the aroma of coffee in the store, thereby depleting an essential element of the customer experience.  So, at Schultz’s directive, stores began grinding beans in-house throughout the day.  Schultz also tells how he championed products which turned out to be failures, and how he demanded the end of breakfast sandwiches only to bring them back upon customer outcry. 

The Proud Papa:  Schultz brags like crazy when his baby done good.  He discusses Starbucks’ environmental and humanitarian work at length, and he details the development and launch of successful new products like Pike Place brew (for customers who prefer a milder blend) and the VIA instants (which were introduced to Schultz in 1989 by a cell biologist, then tweaked and perfected for twenty years until they were finally brought to market in 2009, surprising even the most obnoxious skeptics with their quality). 

The Proselytizing Pastor:  Schultz unrelentingly preaches that no coffee in the world surpasses Starbucks in quality.  He is personally pained when he sees someone carrying a cup with any logo but the green Siren.  Also, as he describes (ad nauseum) the goings-on at Starbucks leadership conferences, he comes off like a charismatic clergyman.  After the opening speakers have primed the crowd, he takes the pulpit and calls down the Starbucks Spirit with his sermons (which he quotes by the paragraph), filling the congregants with zeal to do the good work, spread the word, and grow the church.  (Metaphors mine.)

Despite the snarkiness of the previous paragraph, I liked Onward more than I thought I would.  The quality of the writing is pretty standard for a ghost-written project - technically adequate, but not artful or inspiring.  The content, however, garnered in me a greater appreciation for the high-level corporate perspective, especially the pressures that top leaders experience.  I now also understand the sentimentality that entrepreneurs have for their businesses. 

And to celebrate the reading of the final chapter, I admit that I, the consummate “a little coffee with my cream” person, prepared and enjoyed (really enjoyed!) a cup of Tribute VIA, black, thankful for the twenty years of development effort invested so that all I had to do was boil water.

Check it out on Amazon!