Dear Committee Members

My hangover prevents me from trying to be witty in this review, so I'll just list why I liked - LOVED - this book.

1. It is really funny. Actual laughing out loud happened when I read it.
2. The format is interesting. At times I had to go back and find the first letter that mentions someone to get the context, but that small inconvenience was balanced by the pleasure I got from the way the format allowed things to unfold.
3. Jay is mad at/resigned to the stupidity of our modern culture, especially the damn kids these days. I too am mad about this.
4. The English Department is being slowly killed off in favor of the sciences, and Jay is fighting the good fight to preserve literature at his school. Some of the funniest passages in the book.
5. The writing is smart, never shying away from a big word or a slyly-cutting turn of phrase. I wish I spoke like this book.

Verdict: fantastic. Easily one of my favorite books that I have read this year.

An acerbic, disillusioned professor of English and Creative Writing writes a series of letters of recommendation, revealing himself and the lives of those around him in the process. This book grew on me. I wasn't very engaged when I started, but about halfway through I realized I was enjoying it quite a bit. The letters are outrageously funny, sometimes because they accomplish the opposite of what a letter of recommendation is normally supposed to do. By the end, the book had done much more than make me laugh (at how little English departments are appreciated, at how eccentric and quarrelsome academics are, at how maddening administrative procedures can be)–it had filled me with sympathy for people dealing with the pain of being alive, and with appreciation for a well-written and hilarious, if completely counterproductive, letter of recommendation.

I very much enjoyed this little book. I haven't read very many epistolary novels, and I thought it was an interesting choice to have letters from only one character, with no replies or responses included. In my opinion, that decision paid off beautifully for two reasons. Firstly, many of the letters are letters of recommendation, which inherently have that screaming-into-the-void quality about them. But also, I got the impression that replies wouldn't have had even the smallest impact on Fitger, the letter writer. The risk with the approach, of course, is that hearing only one voice for the entirety of the book would get tiresome, but Schumacher handled it beautifully, balancing Fitger's snark with a healthy dose of sincerity. I'm hoping that the fact that Goodreads lists this as Fitger #1 means that there's a sequel on the way.

The English department is under attack, literally crumbling after funding cutbacks not to mention a construction crew refurbishing the Economic department's floor and filling the air with dust, and probably asbestos, to be breathed in by those poor saps unable to scamper off to other environs.

Meanwhile a beleaguered and aging English professor continues to write out letters of recommendation to current and former students looking to parlay their degree into work at the local paintball arena or as unpaid interns. (oh god the truth to that)

It's wry look at the state of liberal arts education, writers workshops and some inside baseball about the publishing industry. Professor Fitger is an old school grump with a love for the written word but no patience for fools, himself included. A fun diversionary read.

I received a copy through a First Reads giveawayAn 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 ([b:The Rosie Project 16181775 The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) Graeme Simsion https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg 22084678] 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!