Book Review: How May We Hate You by Anna Drezen and Todd Dakotah Briscoe

Just in time for summer travel season comes a book to tell how the other half lives. Not the rich and famous, but the nondescript concierge who only lives to serve. Or maybe not. The authors are two ex-actors who entered hospitality management to make ends meet between gigs. Needless to say by the title of the book, neither one found their true calling at the front desk.  How May We Hate You purports to give the dirt on what really goes on in the world of hospitality management, but doesn’t quite hit the mark.   

Quibbles and bits

The book is a short, quick read filled with vignettes and little drawings. The major fault is that it doesn’t go far enough and often reads as half done. It’s not gossipy enough to be a tell-all. The authors hint they’ve witnessed famous people acting in unprofessional or embarrassing manners, but don’t give names. Then why mention it at all? If you’re going to write a book like this and expect me to believe you, sorry I need the dirt.  Otherwise, I’m going to think you made it all up.

There’s not enough substance in the writing for it to be an exposé on the life of the concierge either.  While heavy on the snark, it’s light on the details and often comes off as merely two people crabbing about their jobs. Mind you, the stories, vignettes, and little quirky lists aren’t badly written. They range from mildly amusing to ho hum. I like a lot of the drawings. The authors apparently have a blog which is probably why much of the writing reads like rehashed posts. If you’re in the doctor’s office it’s a good way pass the time.  At a little over 100 pages you’ll probably breeze through it before called for the appointment. I did. In general, a reader will come away with more sympathy toward those who man the front desk, a chuckle or two, but not much else.   

Scratching my head on this one

I obviously don’t understand marketing.  The physical makeup of this book consists of heavy binding, sturdy cover, and pages of high quality paper. Why? It’s not the kind of book a person keeps forever. It’s a light read that takes about an hour, more fitting for a trade paperback found in an airport gift shop. Even the ebook is expensive at just shy of ten bucks.  I don’t get it.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a review.