Official Review: Adventures of a Rideshare Driver

[Julie Petitbon]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Adventures of a Rideshare Driver" by Charles Campise.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Adventures of a Rideshare Driver by Charles A. Campise is a short collection of vignettes detailing Campise’s time as a driver for several rideshare companies. While most of the passages recount his experiences with memorable passengers, Campise also includes journal entries and passenger reviews, personal reflections, and a variety of lists that relate to his life and career.

My favorite piece in this collection is, “My Biggest Benefits from Driving for Rideshare.” The author’s optimism, zest for life, and interest in others is appealing and sincere. Though he doesn’t shy away from revealing the negative aspects of his job, his tone remains positive throughout. I like how he describes himself as, “an ambassador and tour guide.” Campise’s love of his work and his sincere interest in connecting with others is admirable and translates to his passengers. One passenger enjoyed his experience so much that he invited Campise to attend his wedding!

Another aspect of this short book that I like is how reflective the author is. He finds meaning and purpose in his job, and he often learns from his interactions with others. He shares his reflections at various points in the book, and he includes important life lessons that he gleaned throughout his experiences.

Something about the book that I don’t like is the lack of structure. The vignettes are written in long paragraphs regardless of the change of topic or the insertion of dialogue. This made the stories difficult to follow. They would flow better and read easier with proper paragraph formatting.

I also felt that the passages lacked transitions and organization. For example, the author begins the book with 15 anecdotes. Then he breaks from his storytelling to include a section with brief passenger reviews. He provides more anecdotes before abruptly switching gears again to include a passage that lists his pet peeves and a passage that lists the benefits of driving for rideshare companies. The way in which the vignettes are presented feels abrupt and disorganized with few connections and no transitions.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I think the book has potential, but it needs work. It does not seem professionally edited. I noticed more than ten errors in the first two pages of the book including missing end quotes, wrong placement of punctuation, inappropriate tense shifts, and incorrect punctuation. Egregious grammatical errors, lack of organization, and inadequate structure detracted from my enjoyment of the book. That being said, the piece contains positive messages, and the stories are generally entertaining.

I would recommend a thoroughly edited version of this book to people who enjoy reading short stories. It will also appeal to readers who are interested in what it is like to be a rideshare driver and people who are interested in stories about Austin, Texas. I would not recommend this piece to children, as some stories include adult content.

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Adventures of a Rideshare Driver
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Like Julie Petitbon's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Zeix]

The review was good. As for the book the mistakes that you've mentioned makes it less interesting.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I was tempted to read this book, but I think I may skip it. It sounds like it is entertaining, but lacks structure. Thanks for the great review!

[Rachel Lea]

It's a pity that this book was not better formatted and that there are so many errors. A rideshare driver would have so many interesting stories to tell. Thanks for your honest review!

[Jlbaird85]

A friend of mine was a ride share driver and always had interesting stories. This could have been a great book if not for the proofreading issues. Thanks for the great review!

[CyndiA1]

I hope the author will do some work on the book or hire an editor. The idea sounds really good, but ten mistakes in two pages is insane.

[maggi3]

Hopefully this book gets a good editor to fix the mistakes. It sounds like simple changes would make a world of difference. Until then, I’ll have to pass, but thanks for the review!

[Wyland]

Campise heartfelt journals on the different people he meets during the course of his work as a taxi driver is insightful to read. Thanks for bringing this up.

[Julie Petitbon]

The review was good. As for the book the mistakes that you've mentioned makes it less interesting.

Thanks for your response. I think, after some strong formatting and editing, the book might be more interesting and easier to read.

[Julie Petitbon]

I hope the author will do some work on the book or hire an editor. The idea sounds really good, but ten mistakes in two pages is insane.

The mistakes are excessive, that's for sure. I agree - hopefully, the author will hire an editor. Thanks for your response!

[Julie Petitbon]

Hopefully this book gets a good editor to fix the mistakes. It sounds like simple changes would make a world of difference. Until then, I’ll have to pass, but thanks for the review!

Thank you for responding. I agree- there are many simple grammatical and formatting changes that could make a huge difference.

[Julie Petitbon]

A friend of mine was a ride share driver and always had interesting stories. This could have been a great book if not for the proofreading issues. Thanks for the great review!

This author, too, has some really interesting and unusual stories. His experiences are vast, that's for sure! Thanks for your response!

[Julie Petitbon]

I was tempted to read this book, but I think I may skip it. It sounds like it is entertaining, but lacks structure. Thanks for the great review!

I agree. With more structure (and a major grammatical overhaul), this book has potential. Thanks for your response!