Yet another book about Starbucks has just been published

This one's titled "Starbucked," written by Portland resident Taylor Clark. (You can order it from Amazon.com on the left.) The reviewer of his book writes: "Clark fesses up to his ambivalence toward the 'culinary cultural conformity' spawned by the proliferation of Starbucks, admitting how hard it is to say exactly what the real harm to our society is when so many people want what it offers." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Here are the recently published books about Starbucks and their Amazon.com sales rankings:

* "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill. #891
* "The Starbucks Experience" by Joseph Michelli. #1,321
* "Starbucked" by Taylor Clark. #9,099
* "Grande Expectations: A Year in the Life of Starbucks' Stock" by Karen Blumenthal. #28,769

Comments

wow, so many "informed idiots" who think their opinions/experiences are unique among Starbucks faithful (whether employees or customers).

here's a clue. EVERY company has expereices like that. yours are not unique.

please take up blogging, as you are more likely to have more raders than your book.

[Pat Nerr]

I just got mine from Amazon yesterday. It's not a bad read... even has some juicy quotes from folks like Paul Davis, Howard Behar and Howie himself. I personally like to read the "reality" versions... I give it 2 thumbs up so far and will do a full review on my blog when I'm done with it.

If any of you "raders" out there want my copy when I'm done, first come first serve.

[Tim]

I'm reading Pour Your Heart Into It.

It may be 10 years old now but it's really inspiring and Howard Schultz bares his soul. It's really grounding me and putting things into perspective. :)

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you do.

[jabanga]

i've read howard's book twice and it really can be read either way: either as a justification of every bit of degradation of the values he built the company around or a condemnation of it. there are so many practices now that completely contradict his goals as layed out in the book, yet he also explains how vehemently he was opposed to the use of skim milk or the sale of frappuccinos.

[Pat Nerr]

either way... It's a history lesson now. And for all of the chiding people get for "living in the past" at Starbucks... I'm surprised it's used as a selling tool for passion...

besides... the street value on a signed, partner edition is only 5-7 bucks.

[Cole Hunter]

I'm reading "Pour Your Heart Into It" right now and it is an interesting history lesson on the path of Starbucks. Is Starbucks selling out? Losing its vision? Becoming mediocre? Or is Starbucks just readjusting and learning yet again, how to be better, but still not yet figuring it out?

[Drew]

Just finished Michael Gill's "How Starbucks Saved My Life."
It's an entertaining, fairly inspirational read; Gill intersperses tales of his new life as a Starbucks partner with interesting vignettes of his old life as an advertising executive and as the son of a wealthy "New Yorker" magazine editor. (An example is Gill's recount of meeting Hemingway at Pamplona.)
No one's going to confuse this book with one of Hemingway's, Faulkner's, or Updike's, however. Worth a read but wait for the paperback. Better than "Tuesday's With Morry," not quite as good as most other Oprah Winfrey picks.

[Renaissance_Girl]

I'll wait for it to be in the library I think. But I probably will read it at some point, but I tend to only buy novels for my book case that I know I will go back and read again a few times throughout my life...and then there is the fact that I never was much of a Hemmingway fan...

[Saram]

Starbucks is trying to drive the free press out of Milwaukee. They recently colluded with the daily newspaper to drive out the independent alternative weekly from their stores.

They worked with the daily Journal Sentinel and lied in one of their publications to store managers saying they were not allowed to carry the Shepherd Express.

Turns out that is just plain not true. Here's a letter to the public and Starbucks store managers with a quote from Starbucks corporate with the truth:

http://andyvogel.com/blog1/2007/11/08/starbucks-let-store-managers-decide/