After five years of on-site investigation, including Starbucks locations across the country and
around the world, author and history professor Simon (Boardwalk Dreams: Atlantic City and the
Fate of Urban America) has produced a less-than-earth-shaking examination of the coffee chain's
influence on America (and its American influence abroad). Simon's hodgepodge of observations are
heavy on the obvious ("Lots of people, I learned from my many hours of observation, used Starbucks
as a second place, as a work space and meeting room"), and light on revealing details or
investigation ("After making its five-cent donation to the world's water-deprived" per bottle of
their Ethos water, "the company still gets an extra twenty to fifty cents... of profit"). Those who
frequent Starbucks will enjoy Simon's range of topics, from business matters to the music played to
the (very American) concept of "self-gifting." Though Simon's knowledge of the brand is obvious, his
insight is sparse and his in-person observations lack color (though Starbucks deserves some of the
blame for that).

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