It is very funny. The versions of letters I would have liked to write: "... I've known Ms deRueda for eleven minutes, ten of which were spent in a fruitless attempt to explain to her that I write letter of recommendation only for students who have signed up for and completed one of my classes." Would it be churlish to say that I don't find it quite as funny as others have? (And, dare I say, as it finds itself ...)
An English professor reveals bits of his personal and university's history through a series of letters of recommendation made on behalf of his students and colleagues. I don't know why, but this is the second book I've read (The Rosie Project being the other) in which the protagonist's "voice" seemed to be best read in the form of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.
Professor J. Fitger is very intelligent, opinionated, and honest; and that brutal honesty is by no means filtered in his letters of recommendation. Awkward snippets of how he views his students, the sharp decline of funding directed at his department, and his personal romantic life are told in a witty, sarcastic and hysterical manner. I actually burst into laughter quite a few times. You don't have to work in the education sector to appreciate this book. Anyone who has had to work for or with a blithering idiot and has done his/her job passionately with no recognition, praise, or decent pay scale to show for it, will connect with J. Fitger.
I am so happy to have won this little gem through a giveaway. I am definitely buying a couple of copies as gifts for friends I know will love this book as much as I have!
Professor J. Fitger is very intelligent, opinionated, and honest; and that brutal honesty is by no means filtered in his letters of recommendation. Awkward snippets of how he views his students, the sharp decline of funding directed at his department, and his personal romantic life are told in a witty, sarcastic and hysterical manner. I actually burst into laughter quite a few times. You don't have to work in the education sector to appreciate this book. Anyone who has had to work for or with a blithering idiot and has done his/her job passionately with no recognition, praise, or decent pay scale to show for it, will connect with J. Fitger.
I am so happy to have won this little gem through a giveaway. I am definitely buying a couple of copies as gifts for friends I know will love this book as much as I have!
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher is an epistolary tale told through recommendation letters written by Jason Fitger, a disillusioned, sarcastic English professor at a small liberal arts university. They offer commentary on his life and on life in academia. These letters are not recommendations you want sent on your behalf. Some of them are downright scathing, but the satire and humor make for entertaining reading.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/11/dear-committee-members.html
Reviewed based on a publishers galley received through NetGalley
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/11/dear-committee-members.html
Reviewed based on a publishers galley received through NetGalley
