Official Review: I Really Hate My Job - I think I'm worki...

[bookowlie]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "I Really Hate My Job - I think I'm working with morons" by William Crooks/Gregston Hunte.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In this modern age of technology, I shouldn’t be surprised to see a book consisting completely of text messages. I Really Hate My Job- I think I’m working with morons is a non-fiction book by Gregston Hunte and William Crooks (Note: the lower case letters in the title are the actual way the title appears in the book). This humorous book is a compendium of actual texts between two colleagues who work in the IT department of a company. They text each other to relieve boredom and release their frustrations about the idiots they work with. They commiserate about common work situations, such as the incompetent boss who didn’t deserve her promotion, the worker who has body odor, etc. They are tired of the same old office grind and the same old people who are dumb and annoying.

The book is solely comprised of text messages. On each page, there are 2 columns of texts, each column representing a separate discussion about their co-workers. It took me a few pages to get used to the separate left and right columns’ discussions on each page. Once I became adjusted to the rhythm of the format, I felt like I was eavesdropping on two guys having a few beers after work.

The men joke around, but there is also an undercurrent of frustration in some of the conversations. One of the men is resentful that an incompetent co-worker was promoted to be his boss and that he will probably be expected to train her. Another sore point is when he has to leave early to go to the doctor and is told that he will have to use 2 hours’ vacation time. One text is about the boss who assigns another ASAP project. These projects are described as “hurry up and wait”, since the boss will often not even look at the finished work until a week later.

As would be expected, much time is spent gossiping about the personal lives of various colleagues. The men complain about co-workers who overshare about their Weight Watchers diet, divorces, dating, etc. There is also a discussion about one worker who is fired after dumping his girlfriend who coincidentally works in Human Resources. The ex-girlfriend files a sexual harassment claim, even though she is married and was cheating on her husband. You can’t make this stuff up.

Let me just say that this book is hilarious! The witty banter between the authors is very relatable. I found myself nodding my head at many topics of discussion I recognized all too well. Some sections were so familiar to me that I had flashbacks of the motley crew from my first job. I can still smell the morning coffee brewing. There is a discussion about the guy who kept four pairs of shoes at work. I knew someone who did that and, during a stressful period, he once put on two unmatched shoes (I kid you not). Another text about an “American Idol wannabee” reminded me of a co-worker who once loudly sang a medley of Christmas songs one summer morning at work. Yes, every office seems to have a singer; sometimes they are also nursing a morning hangover.

The book feels a little sparse, with no character development. The two men just seemed a little too anonymous. I know this isn’t a novel, but at times it felt like a joke book rather than a book composed of two actual men’s conversations. It would have helped if some of the texts included a few details about their own lives; then I might have cared more about them.

Overall I enjoyed this short book and rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I laughed a lot and thought, “Been there, done that”. It’s a creative, witty glimpse of the daily office grind.

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I Really Hate My Job - I think I'm working with morons
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[zeldas_lullaby]

OMG, great review!

My dad does that kind of law--harassment in the workplace, etc.

This book actually does sound rather entertaining. I have to admit it.

Oooh, how I hate the workplace. This reminded me of the short story, too, about Pam.

Great review!!

[Lisalovecraft]

That sounds like a fun read. I'm not sure if I would like the text message format throughout the book, however. Nice review!

[bookowlie]

That sounds like a fun read. I'm not sure if I would like the text message format throughout the book, however. Nice review!

Personally I didn't care for the text message format, particularly with the two columns on each page. However, I did enjoy the book!

-- 14 May 2015, 15:05 --

Zeldas_lullaby, thanks for the kind words. None of the co-workers mentioned in the book are mean, as Pam was in the Dog Eat Dog story. Maybe they were a little incompetent or talked too much about their personal lives, but it didn't seem like anyone was mean.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Ooooh, OK.

[bluemel4]

Wow! The book sounds like a fun read. Wonderful review.

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA, it really does sound fun! I have a lot of exchanged emails in my inbox that would be equally entertaining, I'm sure! What a fun concept.

Regarding the workplace, I never minded if people shared personal stuff, like about Weight Watchers, or whatever. I just hated it when people made inappropriate comments about offensive stuff, deliberately tried to bully me, or pried me for info I didn't feel like sharing.

I generally hate TV commercials, but these two guys remind me of the two men from the SONIC restaurant chain commercials.

[bookowlie]

I will have to look for that Sonic commercial.

[PashaRu]

Thanks for a good review. I'm not sure if I would read this all the way through or close the book after a few pages and never open it again. I'm not into reading other people's complaints or gossip, especially the petty nonsense that permeates most office environments. It would have to be extremely witty and funny to offset my distaste for that and keep me reading.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Interesting thoughts, PashaRu. It's hard to disagree with that, especially since workplace gossip is largely to blame for my insanity. I will say that what these guys are doing seems mostly harmless and innocuous to what I've experienced/witnessed/suffered. I'm glad that you're against gossip, though!

-- 14 May 2015, 22:26 --

I will have to look for that Sonic commercial.

Yeah, they're just these two guys who sit in their car at the drive-thru making ridiculous wisecracks about everything. Like, everyday Joes, I guess.

[PashaRu]

workplace gossip is largely to blame for my insanity.

Well, that's an intriguing statement, to say the least.

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA HA HA HA. It's completely true.

[Rachaelamb1]

It sounds like a fun book but I think reading only text messages would drive me crazy!

[gali]

Lovely review! I don't care for text message format either.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Oh, wait. Is it actually written in text speak, like TTYL, and that sort of thing, or is it just written as messages back and forth? (Does that make sense?) That would irritate me too if it were full of all that ridiculous text lingo.