Add this to your summer reading list

So I just finished reading this really great book, Starbucked, by Taylor Clark. It was a very intriguing and quick read; I'm sure I would have gotten through it quickly even without the 14-day deadline imposed by my local library. And yes, it was intriguing even though it was a nonfiction book about coffee.

Of course, the thing that made it so incredibly interesting was the fact that it was about so much more than just coffee. Yeah, sure, coffee does have quite a lot to do with it. But Clark explains everything, starting from the drink's history and continuing on to how one independent roasting company in Seattle was able to become a global household name.

Clark's book examines Starbucks from two perspectives; first, he takes an appreciative view at how Howard Schultz was able to singlehandedly (well, ok, he had a lot of help) take a mundane and generally low-quality beverage and turn it into a gourmet commodity that a typical consumer would be willing to pay almost five dollars to drink on a regular basis. Second, Clark looks at the company's impact on the world; how it may be either the cause or the byproduct of gentrification in America, how it was able to spread so quickly across the globe, and how its business model shows no signs of slowing down in the near future.

Is Starbucks singilng out and destroying locally owned, mom-and-pop chains in America? How can they get away with opening two stores across the street frome each other? Just what makes the stores such a cool place to hang out, anyway?

I, like many Americans, just sort of assumed that Starbucks was an evil corporation, bent on global domination. Of course, I also visit the retailer several times per week. Clark's book helped to explain this psychological phenomenon. It also taught me what the word gentrification means.

I haven't decided yet how I ultimately feel about Starbucks. The book actually made me a little more confused than I was to begin with. But it was still fascinating, and I feel really good about myself for voluntarily reading a nonfiction book over the summer. I'd highly reccomend it.