The Monthly Book Report

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Murphy Business

We read 'em, so you don't have to!

And now it gets stark. Linda Tirado, author of the explosive, f-bomb laden Hand to Mouth, takes the prize for the most in-your-face book of recent memory. You see, Tirado is poor and she pulls no punches painting the harsh picture of what exactly that means in a place called Bootstrap America. She's the accidental author, one who was merely struggling along the poverty line when a year ago she replied to an online forum question that asked, "Why do poor people do things that seem so self-destructive?" Her 1,500-word missile of an essay went viral and the end result is a book that helps the well-to-do gain a bit more insight into the lives of those who wait tables, turn down beds, bag groceries, fix coffee, and ring up orders. If you're like me, you want speedy service with a smile, delivered by those who enjoy their chosen profession. And Tirado makes it plain that it's damned difficult to live up to that standard when you're flat-out exhausted from juggling multiple minimum-wage jobs. Hello, wake-up call.

The author was bright enough to head off to college at 16 and, she admits, foolish enough to make the mistakes that led to her financial demise. Now in her early 30's, she seems to own every ounce of her troubled history. "I slid to the bottom through a mix of my own decisions and some seriously bad luck," she writes. There's a downward spiral "the lower third" has a hard time reversing and the battle is simply to survive. Consider two realities you likely take for granted - reliable transportation and proper medical coverage - and you start to better understand what life might be like when one lives without such comforts. When you have a crappy car and painful dental issues - neither of which you can afford to do anything about - it's no small wonder you might be less than enthusiastic during the Walmart Cheer (yup, up until recently that was a hot slice of Hell endured by the retail giant's employees).

Perhaps what's best about Hand to Mouth is Tirado's brilliantly wry sense of humor. Her Open Letter to Rich People is priceless, especially the section tearing apart typical business meetings. (One assumes she's been in more than her fair share at Putnam of late - they're her publisher, after all.) She says, "I'd have been fired from all my regular jobs if I made my bosses repeat themselves this much" and then goes on to rip those who butter up and flatter the same executives that they don't really listen to. If nothing else, pop into a bookstore and read Tirado's acknowledgments section, in which she sincerely thanks most everyone she's met along the way... and then has a, well, slightly different message for four folks in particular. It's raunchy, colorful and serves as the hilariously perfect one-liner for anyone who's ever found themselves in "take this job and shove it" mode. And c'mon - who hasn't been there before?

Happy reading!

Chris

Originally by Posted by Chris Bond on December 29, 2014 at 1:07pm