Official Review: American Corporate by Jeb Stewart Harrison

Jgideon · Post by **Jgideon** » 08 Feb 2019, 02:19

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "American Corporate" by Jeb Stewart Harrison.]

3 out of 4 stars

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American Corporate is a novel written by Jeb Stewart Harrison. The book revolves around the life of a middle-aged man, Jack Sullivan, who is caught up between family, unemployment, and his encounter with the corporate world in America.

At the beginning of the book, the reader meets an unemployed American citizen, Jack, who is almost at the verge of giving up in life. His wife, Carrie, was worried about his state of hopelessness and had to keep reminding him to have a positive attitude. When he finally got a job, he was happy that he would be able to provide the much-needed financial support to his family. As an employee of BFC Corporation, the world’s giant IT company, Jack found out that the cheque that he received after every two weeks was not enough to make his family complete and happy. He struggled to help his fourteen-year-old son, Robbie, with all that he needed to perform well in his studies. His daughter, Lulu, also needed his attention every day. Could Jack cope with the demands of his job and family?

Through Jack’s life, I learned a lot about the American corporate world. When Jack got his job as a middle-level manager, he experienced what it felt like to work in a multicultural setting. Majority of the employees were Americans. The others were from different parts of the world. The aspects that dictated the work environment at BFC Corporation were racial discrimination, several cases of romance between employees, inability to follow work ethics, and gender discrimination.

It was heartbreaking to learn that top-ranking executives found it difficult to embrace cultural diversity. For instance, Dominique Chatelard, Brigitte Touliard, and Pierre LeDieu (from France) constantly referred to their American colleagues as stupid. In addition, some Americans could not stand Japanese culture and cuisine. For instance, Jack Sullivan and some of his friends ordered Japanese food during one of the organization’s career boot camps. When Little Joe, one of the top executives in the company, saw Jack enjoying his food he said, “I don’t know how you guys can eat that sh*t…. I wouldn’t be surprised if you all woke up tomorrow morning with little slit eyes, bowing to each other like a buncha nips.” That was gross.

Jeb also used the characters in the book to give advice about parenting. The general manager of BFC Corporation, Buzz Young, left his career in the military after the Vietnam War. After joining BFC Corporation, he devoted most of his time to his job. He later lost his family. His advice to Jack was, “get into your kid’s faces and stay there. I don’t mean intrusive, but there. Always there. Always present with your eyes and ears wide open, because they will stray, take my word for it. But they won’t stray far if you’re there for them.” I couldn’t agree more, especially in a world where children have been somehow neglected as their parents strive to climb the corporate ladder.

The book gives an interesting story while conveying realistic themes. In addition, the author used a simple style that is easy to read and understand. However, I could not give it a perfect score because I found a handful of errors in the book. I believe that the helpful hand of an editor will eliminate the errors. Therefore, I give American Corporate 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the experiences of employees who work for international corporations in America.

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American Corporate
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amfrecti · Post by **amfrecti** » 12 Feb 2019, 06:19

An interesting review, it brings back memories of my own struggles as a parent working in a stressful environment. I am inspired to read this novel based on the review, just to compare my experiences and reactions to that described by the author.

Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 12 Feb 2019, 08:52

I agree that those small-minded attitudes are definitely "gross." Thanks for your great review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 12 Feb 2019, 09:17

This definitely sounds realistic. Having been part of a job search myself multiple times, it does get VERY discouraging. So, I can sympathize with Jack. It's a bit too realistic for me at the moment, but thanks.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 12 Feb 2019, 09:31

The author hits home with the struggle between working hard and spending time with the family. It's something we all try to balance. This sounds interesting with the added knowledge of the executive's attitudes. Thanks for your interesting review.

Rose Harebate · Post by **Rose Harebate** » 12 Feb 2019, 14:21

"children have been somehow neglected as their parents strive to climb the corporate ladder." You couldn't have said it better. Neglection is even worse these days as everyone is focusing on financial goals. Great review!

Jessacardinal · Post by **Jessacardinal** » 12 Feb 2019, 21:01

I worked in a corporate setting for several years in my twenties. I did not have children of my own during that time (thank goodness) but I did witness more than enough of the "corporate behaviors" to know it was most definitely not the place for me to spend the rest of my life. I can say first hand, it sounds like this book touches on a lot of legitimate issues within the corporate world.

Susmita Biswas · Post by **Susmita Biswas** » 13 Feb 2019, 00:18

The story reminds me of "The Pursuit of Happiness". A survival story. Hard work for the family's happiness. This is the reality of life. Our life is a war and if we can't win even then we can't leave the war. We have to fight.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 13 Feb 2019, 19:58

Honestly, I never would've paid attention to this book if it wasn't for your review. I think all the realities you mention about discrimination and so on are sad but it's important that we talk about them in order to solve them. I love the advice about children, parents need to find a balance between advancing their careers and not neglecting their kids.
An amazing, insightful review, thank you!

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 15 Feb 2019, 01:09

“get into your kid’s faces and stay there. I don’t mean intrusive, but there. Always there. Always present with your eyes and ears wide open, because they will stray, take my word for it. But they won’t stray far if you’re there for them.”

This is synonymous to my husband's personal slogan, and I think it's paying off as we could see its results in our kids. Thank you for your insightful review.

Jgideon · Post by **Jgideon** » 15 Feb 2019, 03:29

amfrecti wrote: ↑12 Feb 2019, 06:19 An interesting review, it brings back memories of my own struggles as a parent working in a stressful environment. I am inspired to read this novel based on the review, just to compare my experiences and reactions to that described by the author.

Thank you

Jgideon · Post by **Jgideon** » 15 Feb 2019, 03:30

SamSim wrote: ↑12 Feb 2019, 08:52 I agree that those small-minded attitudes are definitely "gross." Thanks for your great review!

You are much welcome

Jgideon · Post by **Jgideon** » 15 Feb 2019, 03:34

Lunastella wrote: ↑13 Feb 2019, 19:58 Honestly, I never would've paid attention to this book if it wasn't for your review. I think all the realities you mention about discrimination and so on are sad but it's important that we talk about them in order to solve them. I love the advice about children, parents need to find a balance between advancing their careers and not neglecting their kids.
An amazing, insightful review, thank you!

Thanks for the comment. You are much welcom

Chrystal Oaks · Post by **Chrystal Oaks** » 17 Feb 2019, 15:54

It saddens me that there is so much discrimination in the international corporation world; you think it would be the opposite. I'm not surprised that the author included a group of people from France downing people from United States; this is not the first time I've read this and have actually read words worse than "stupid". Based on your insightful review, this seems like a book that explores issues we are dealing with today. Thanks for your great review. I plan on adding this book to my reading list.

Ronel_Steyn · Post by **Ronel_Steyn** » 18 Feb 2019, 09:18

This sounds like an interesting read covering cultural diversity as well as the constant juggle of building career and family. Thank you for your review.