Three Great Books #26

Navigating Amazon, 1950s London, and achievement culture.

Exit Interview, by Kristi Coulter

When I was a little kid, Richard Scarry’s “What Do People Do All Day?” was one of my favorite books. And I still often wonder what people do all day! I’ve only worked in newsrooms and as a freelancer at home, and much of corporate America remains a mystery to me. Enter “Exit Interview.” At its most basic, it’s a highly entertaining deep dive into what it’s actually like to work at Amazon. Coulter gets a job there in 2006 and is plunged into a chaotic environment where everyone works long hours and no one quite knows exactly how to achieve the goals that have been handed down from above and that may change at any time. Coulter also writes about the tightrope women have to walk in corporations that pride themselves on being meritocracies. She is a “Level 7” in the corporate org chart, and as she jumps from positions in merchandising to publishing, leadership development, and Amazon Go stores, a promotion to Level 8 is often dangled but remains just out of reach. At one meeting to discuss her promotion prospects, Coulter comes armed with a self-assessment and asks how she can set herself up to reach that goal in the next year. “It’s easy,” says supervisor “Ron,” which I really hope is a pseudonym. “Just change the world.” (!) Coulter writes, “The faces of men in this org who’ve recently been promoted past me drift through my mind. Most of them are seem more than competent, but I’m not aware of anything world changing they’ve done.” When Coulter finally does leave Amazon it’s surprisingly poignant.

Don’t Look at Me Like That, by Diana Athill

This slim novel, first published in 1967 and recently reissued, is like a liquor-spiked chocolate truffle: a totally enjoyable small bite with a hint of bitterness. It follows Meg Bailey through her teenage and young adult years in post-WWII England, first in her small hometown, then at art college in Oxford, and then in London. As a teenager, she is not happy: “It wasn’t easy to envisage a life which I might enjoy unless I went far beyond the bounds of probability, but I knew well two lives which I could not enjoy: school and my home.” Things improve when she becomes friends with Roxane, whose family is more sophisticated, and is incorporated into her social life. She also meets Dick, Roxane’s family friend and eventual husband. After moving to London to work as an illustrator, Meg reconnects with Dick when he’s in town for work, and the rest of the book is concerned with the fallout from their relationship. Meg doesn’t always make great choices, but she is acerbically witty and self-aware. And the writing is top-notch. Athill was an acclaimed editor who died at age 101 in 2019 and this is her only novel. I wish it weren’t. (Thanks to Angie for the recommendation!)

Never Enough, by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

I don’t feature a lot of informational/service books, because their appeal is not often universal (your self-help is not my self-help!). I’m making an exception with this one; if you’re a parent, an educator, or anyone interested helping kids handle the overwhelming pressure to succeed at all the things, read “Never Enough.” Faced with economic uncertainty and the belief that only by being a top achiever can their kids do better than the previous generations, parents are contributing to the forces that have led to an uptick in depression and anxiety among even the most privileged teenagers. To counteract a culture that promotes perfection at school and in sports and other extra-curricular activities, even at the expense of sleep, family time and down time, Wallace suggests we focus on making kids feel that they matter — valued for who they are, not what they do. Even if you’re nodding along in agreement, you may be unwittingly saying and doing things that give the kids in your life the impression that you value them for their achievements. The book offers concrete solutions for changing your tune, including some suggestions for identifying healthy vs. non-healthy competition, making your values clear, and teaching interdependence. I took notes!