Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12431 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
“In the best tradition of The New Yorker, How Starbucks Saved My Life is one great read.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“An intriguing look behind the counter of one of the world’s most recognizable brands.”
—The Christian Science Monitor

“How Starbucks Saved My Life works as an interesting memoir of one man’s transformation. But it could also work as a wake-up call to corporate America.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

About the Author
The son of New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, Michael Gates Gill was a creative director at J. Walter Thompson Advertising, where he was employed for over twenty-five years. He has no plans to retire from what he calls the best job he’s ever had.

Customer Reviews

Gill still doesn't get it
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.

Nothing gold can stay
Michael Gill Gates thought he was at the top of his game in a big New York advertising firm having given the company years of service, but he was expendable....After being fired and making stupid choices he finds himself nearly penniless. He happens to be in Starbucks while they are having a hiring fair. When he is offered a job, he accepts.
Working at Starbucks he learns the important things in life...caring for others and respect for all!!!
As the proverb tells us "Nothing gold can stay." Life is impermanent we can go from riches to rags in the blink of an eye. If we are fortunate, like the author, we will have the courage to bury our egos and take what is offered. It is by making our lives our offering to others that we find peace.
This book is a well written page turner as Gates describes how he touches the edge of oblivian and comes back to be a far better human being. This is a particularly important book for our time and age. There are more than a few Wallstreets executives who would do well to go to work at Starbucks.Read this book and you'll understand why.

Really enjoyable read ....
Since it's the holiday season, I was looking forward to reading a book that wasn't too "heavy" and had a good, uplifting message. I found this in my to-be-read stack and settled in to enjoy. What a great book -- I was not disappointed !

The author has grown up in a very financially secure family and was given lots of material advantages as he was growing up. Big homes, a famous father and excellent East Coast schools were just part of the picture. As you read the book, you find out that what is happening to him internally is vastly different from the picture-perfect outside the family shows the world. While there is no violence or physical abuse, his father is distant and uninvolved and his mother isn't emotionally healthy either. He grows up fairly lonely and constantly feeling he isn't good enough for his parents. You find this story out via flashbacks as we follow him in his present-day job at Starbucks.

He arrived at Starbucks after being let go from a major advertising firm. He appears to have spent every dime he made and has no financial cushion to fall back on. In addition, he messes up his relationship with his wife by cheating on her and having a child out of wedlock. He ends up divorced, living paycheck to paycheck and questioning his entire belief system.

I loved the fact that he discovered who is really is (warts and all) and what he really enjoys. Several reviewers critized him for still "not getting it", but I think they are being too hard on him. He is doing the best he can and unlearning what was programmed into him for 64 years. He is not perfect, but who is? He is on a journey of discovering himself and is very honest about his steps forward (as well as backward) along the way. I LOVED the way he looks at himself objectively and openly talks about who is used to be vs. who he is now.

I also thought the Starbucks story was great. Being a fan of Starbucks, and coffee houses in general, I liked finding out a bit about what it is like to work there and what the company culture is. What a wonderful inside look at something you normallly wouldn't get to see.

This is a great book for anyone who has ever questioned the life they are living and searched for their own happiness regardless of what other people think. What an inspiration !!