Category: 
July 16, 2010
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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.
Rating: 
(out of 69 reviews)
List Price: $ 13.00
Price: $ 1.25
Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
- Pack of 2, 6.1 ounce per package (12 t-cups)
- Well-balanced flavors
- Blend of Latin American coffees
House Blend is a wonderful, straightforward blend of Latin American coffees. The bright flavor is tempered with a round smoothness and ends with a clean finish. House Blend is the Starbucks coffee most often brewed in offices, restaurants and other dining establishments the world over.
Rating: 
(out of 30 reviews)
List Price: $ 28.58
Price: $ 29.99
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Horaayy..there are 10 comment(s) for me so far ;)
Review by M. Douglas for How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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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.
Review by Danielle George for How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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When I picked this book up and first started reading it, I thought I would really enjoy it. It’s about a former rich high and mighty ad exec losing his job and having to work at Starbucks and realizing he actually likes it. And the parts of the book where he was learning to be humble and appreciate the little things in life, and work with people different than him were very enjoyable to read. But sadly, each chapter would have a flash back of his rich arrogant life, with no reason or purpose, and he would shamelessly name drop. He might be rushing to the train to get to his starbucks shift on time, and it will for some reason, cause him to recall the time he worked with Jackie O for a fundraiser, and she personally thanked him because he saved the day. Or another time he is talking to a co worker who is having tea, and this makes him want to write for 3 pages about the time he met the Queen of England, and how impressed she was with him. That and his cheesy sales tactics he loves to talk about…you know, the kind smarmy motivational speakers use, really knocked the book down quite a bit. I ended up flipping past several pages a chapter. But again, when he was his new humble self, i enjoyed reading about his adventures. But how humble is your new self when your book, which is entirely about how humble and happy you are in your small life is about half filled with celeb name dropping and achievements galore?
Review by D. Rowe for How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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I loved this book! It was very easy to read and I love true stories. The author lost everything; his job, home, wife, etc. and started over at the bottom accepting a job in retail at Starbucks. Over the months he developed caring friendships with his coworkers, customers, and adult children while learning new job skills ‘beneath’ his former high-level position. Mike redeemed himself after making some very poor choices and learned valuable life lessons about respecting others and the dignity of work. A great story about a work ethic that is rarely on display nowadays and the resulting pride and self-respect of a job well done. This is a keeper on my bookshelf; I’ll read it again.
Review by Rosalind I for How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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Read it, put it down, and said, “I don’t buy it.” Here are the things that didn’t ring true for me:
1) Michael Gates Gill comes from an extremely wealthy family. His father died in 1997. He must have left an estate worth many millions of dollars. Even split among several kids, Michael had to have inherited big money.
2) What American of that class does not have ANY 401(k)or investment income?
3) I believe NY has no-fault divorce. Even if he felt guilty about his affair, I doubt his wife got EVERYTHING–and what they had was a lot. If she got a multi-million-dollar house, he had to get a lot as well.
4) He still eats at the Oyster Bar and goes to his accountant, who tells him not to eat at the Oyster Bar. Tip: people living on Starbucks money don’t have accountants. He went to his acct. because he has money to manage.
5) He says he needs to get insurance for his young son. But the mother is a doctor. I suspect that kid is covered.
6) Nobody loves Starbucks this much. The paean to Starbucks is way over the top.
Bottom line, here’s an ad executive who wasn’t making the money or getting the praise he was used to. He probably was very down. But it sure seems to me like he decided to take a low-paying job and write a book about what that was like. For a much better look at how people who do this kind of work actually live and work, I recommend Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed.”
He also lets himself off the hook with regard to his lack of fatherhood mighty easily. He “tried” to see his young son “several times a week,” but he gave Starbucks “total availability.” Has he learned any lesson at all about not living for your work? Because that sure seems like what he does with Starbucks–just for less money.
All the reviews that say, a must for any executive, etc., make me think that there must be a lot of people who’ve never had any lower-level jobs or been out there looking. I don’t need this book to know that lower-level jobs are often harder than high-level ones, and that there is dignity in doing one’s best no matter what the job is. Thank goodness.
Bottom line: I didn’t care for him, and I don’t believe in the underlying “truth” of this book.
Review by NDJS for How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else
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I couldn’t believe that such a hyperbolic title could fit the contents inside, but I soon became a believer. This book is an easy read and shares lessons in ethics and living in the corporate world, and how even the most powerful can fall. Michael Gates Gill tells a fascinating story about pulling himself up by his bootstraps that all ages will enjoy.
Review by Kristin E. Nelson for Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
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Finally! Starbucks for my Tassimo. I purchased the Tassimo (which is a fabulous machine – but if you’re reading this review for T-Discs you probably already know that!) over a year ago to replace my daily Starbucks habit.
Until now, I had been steadily rotating through the store-available coffee selections (Gevalia, Maxwell House, Seattle’s Best). These all worked fine, but now I’m really using the machine as I had originally intended.
These T-Discs come 12 to a package, and they’re fat (think twice the height of a regular coffee disc). Amazon’s price on this two pack is very competitive, and I have recently seen them available at places like Bed Bath & Beyond (more expensive, but instant gratification).
The flavor of this House Blend is true to form – if you’re a fan of Starbucks, it will be familar to you. Granted, it’s not grinder fresh like you would get from whole beans minced seconds before brewing, but it’s pretty darn close. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I will definitely be ordering this again.
Even when it’s not on sale, it works out to less than a dollar a cup. Cheaper than walking into Starbucks, more expensive than buying a canister of Folgers – but the one cup convenience and superior taste just can’t be beat.
Highly recommended for Tassimophiles who crave their Starbucks.
Review by J. Powell for Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
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Ok…I’m not a religious Starbucks person, but I pop in there once in a Blue moon.
This coffee does closely mirror what I’ve had as their “house blend” in the past.
Plainly, it is a VERY STRONG cup of coffee. Slightly biting, and just a little too strong for my taste.
Even still, this has a better taste than the weak and watery Gevalia Coffee Creama.
As a previous review stated, these Starbucks discs are “double thick” with coffee, not like the smaller discs you get with Gevalia, or even Espresso. (they are about as thick as a milk/creamer disc for a Cappuccino)
When I would make auto drip coffee at home, I rarely put more than one teaspoon of sugar in with milk, however, with this Starbucks house blend I put in 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar and milk, and this coffee was STILL STRONG.
By the time I was finished half a cup, I was wide awake.
I think if I split one cup into 2, and cut it with some real half and half, plus the sugar, this would be more agreeable to my taste.
Obviously, it comes down to individual taste.
In general, this is a very good, very strong cup of coffee.
I’m giving this 5 stars because the product delivers as advertised and at a reasonable price on Amazon.
If I were paying full retail price the rating would drop to 4 stars.
I’m looking forward to trying the other Starbucks T-discs to see the nuances they’ve captured.
Review by J T H for Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
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Starbucks has this coffee just the way I think it should be. Each disc has twice the coffee and tastes twice as good. I no longer have to brew a cup of coffee and add a shot of espresso to get a palatable cup. So, even though the price per disc is higher, each tasty cup is more economical. I like all three blends, but the House Blend is my favorite.
Review by for Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
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target store sells this for 7.98 for 1 pk of 12 seatles best for 7.99 for 16 this is a great price with 2 pks of 12 for 18.72 as long as shipping is supersaver!
Review by Carol Greco for Starbucks House Blend, Medium, T-Discs for Tassimo System, 6.1-Ounce Packages (Pack of 2)
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Wow–Tassimo listens to consumers. First bought a Tassimo machine about one and a half years ago to experiment with products then our Tassimo machine was sitting for about a year because we did not care for the selections. The Starbucks T-Disk seems to have just the right amount of coffee to get a great cup and a great start for mornings in Year 2008.