Starbucked
by Taylor Clark
Published by Little, Brown and Company
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Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali
Subtitled: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture
Starbucked is divided into two parts. The first part describes the rise of Starbucks. Clark briefly summarizes coffee drinking practices outside the United States and moves to Prescott’s work on coffee at MIT in the 1920s. From there Clark outlines the changes in American coffee consumption. The main focus of the first part is rightly on Starbucks – especially after Howard Schultz took over the company, making it into the coffee juggernaut it has become.
The second part focuses on the criticisms that are levied against Starbucks. Clark divides these into five main categories, which he lists as [pg. 145]:
• Killing the character of neighborhoods and employing predatory tactics to take out locally owned coffeehouses.
• Causing the suffering of millions of Third World coffee farmers by paying unfair prices for beans.
• Peddling a product that is harmful to our health (and our delicate palates).
• Exploiting its employees and crushing their attempts to unionize.
• Homogenizing the planet and destroying cultural diversity by saturating the world with its stores.
It is in this section that one would find the most contentious parts of the book. While Clark does address all of the categories above, and draws upon all the major criticisms leveled against Starbucks, to some readers he may come across as being pro-Starbucks. Other readers would contend that Clark is merely mapping the fault lines of the debate. Whatever the reader’s stand, most would agree that Clark has outlined both sides of the debate. It was instructive for me to read the epilogue, titled “The Last Drop.” It recounts Clark’s personal encounter with Starbucks as it entered his home town and probably influenced his ambivalence towards the company.
Starbucked does not purport to be a management book or a book on how to create a culture (as some books on Starbucks are). This book outlines its rise from a historical perspective and reports both sides of the ethical transgressions that Starbucks has been accused of. The journalistic writing style is crisp and flows well. Overall, it is well researched and well written.
Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended for those who are passionate about Starbucks.