30 DAYS BOOK CHALLENGE @isthatacorner
Day 5: a book that made you happy – DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS by Julie Schumacher
(non-spoiler reasons why you should read this in the comment below!!!)

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    It is structured around a series of recommendation letters an English professor has to write for his students as well as some correspondences between him and his colleagues. Throughout the novel, we learn more about the woes our dear narrator, the aforementioned English professor, had to go through – including office politics and interpersonal dramas. It’s funny, at times poignant, with a sprinkle of sads here and there. I definitely recommended this for a quick and fun read this Fall. 🙂

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      On the holds list! I remember getting a recommendation letter from my old eng prof. She gave me two several days apart. I was hanging out in her office (it was THE SPOT in college) and she asked me if I had applied to grad school yet. I said no, I still had a few odds and ends to gather. She gave me a copy of the first recommendation letter and she had just TRASHED me as a human, as a student. It was hard not to cry. She told me that you should ALWAYS read your recommendation letter because otherwise you dont know what the heck theyve said about you. She said thats one of the ways black workers were denied jobs. They couldnt read and took a letter of recommendation from one employer to the next and it just trashed them. She told me to rip up that letter and gave me a new one.

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        Wow, that’s so intense but so true. I hope you’ll find this book a bit more humourous
        I’ve always felt awkward about asking for a letter of recommendation from anyone, and would always waive my rights to read the letter once it’s submitted.

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          She was my favorite prof. Buy she was AWFUL to the poor freshmen. She had a rep fot making them cry. As I said, her office was THE SPOT if you were cool with her, but every semester around midterms and finals it was just sad to be around there because there would be so many freshman with terrible papers outside her office in tears. She used one of my papers for a decade as an example of how to write a perfect paper. (Excuse my super smug smile).
          Oh,no it is SO important to know what people are saying about you. 2 years (I guess) ago I was working at this library with the racist former childrens librarian. A friend of mine applied and interviewed for the same position and the director who hired me told me what one of her references said about her. That reference talked SUCH crap about her. I called my friend immediately like, change your references. This one HATES you. My friend had no idea. Who knows how many jobs she lost?

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            That is INSANE. She sounds like such an intense and stressful person to be around. Woooow! You have all the bragging rights! GO ISA!
            In an ideal world, ppl should only agree to be listed as references only if they have positive things to say. But alas, that’s not the case. :(((( It’s really is to the disadvantage of black/poc folks.

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    I laughed and laughed when I read this book. My first foray into university was at the institution where the author works, and I knew exactly which buildings she was describing.

    Have you read the second book? I couldn’t get into it and I’m not sure if it was just me or if it just wasn’t as good.

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      I didn’t realize there is a follow-up. Wow, I’m both curious and hesitant to try. Part of me doesn’t want the sequel to ruin the first book, but part of me is so curious.

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