Medallion Status
Ratings12
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings12
Average rating4.1
“[An] affecting and hilarious meditation on fame and prestige as seen through the lens of an airline loyalty program.” —The AV Club A hilarious and honest new book in which John Hodgman, New York Times bestselling author of Vacationland, leaves vacation behind and gets back to work as a still somewhat famous person . . . and then loses his job. An uproarious read. After spending most of his twenties pursuing a career as a literary agent, John Hodgman decided to try his own hand at writing. Following an appearance to promote one of his books on The Daily Show, he was invited to return as a contributor. This led to an unexpected and, frankly, implausible career in front of the camera that has lasted to this very day, or at least until 2016. In these pages, Hodgman explores the strangeness of his career, speaking plainly of fame, especially at the weird, marginal level he enjoyed it. Through these stories you will learn many things that only John Hodgman knows, such as how to prepare for a nude scene with an oboe, or what it feels like to go to a Hollywood party and realize that you are not nearly as famous as the Property Brothers, or, for that matter, those two famous corgis from Instagram. And there are stories about how, when your television gig is canceled, you can console yourself with the fact that all of that travel that made your young son so sad at least left you with a prize: platinum medallion status with your airline. Both unflinchingly funny and deeply heartfelt, Medallion Status is a thoughtful examination of status, fame, and identity--and about the way we all deal with those moments when we realize we aren't platinum status anymore and will have to get comfortable in that middle seat again.
Reviews with the most likes.
As a weird, only child from coastal Maine with a job I love that sends me traveling all over the country, the book makes me feel very seen. From observations about the video game / faux-family psychology of airline frequent flyer programs and becoming a “regular” at a hotel (and the simultaneous exhiliration and alienation of an itinerant lifestyle) to John Hodgman's life lessons from odd jobs, this memoir has a lot of insights that I related to. This book made me think critically about my own life in the way a great memoir can.
And to clarify, although this book is hyper-relatable for my own weird life, the book's larger messages - about kindness, empathy, curiosity, and being open to adventures but also honest with yourself and not letting yourself get too carried away from the relationships that really matter in your life - are much more universal.
I'm a huge fan of John Hodgman's podcast, and I was extremely eager to read this book. I love books of humor and books about travel, particularly dull, work-related travel since it's so much more relatable and so much less enviable than the travel people tend to write about.
I was surprised to see how closely Hodgman's voice on the page mirrored his voice on the podcast and disappointed that it didn't quite work for me. While there were plenty of laughs, a lot of the humor felt quite awkward. Watching improv comedy can be fun, but reading the transcript of an improv sketch? Less so. This was most pronounced in Hodgman's use of fake dialogue, which was pretty jarring in parts and consistently undercut genuinely humorous situations. These asides work well in audio comedy, where they're aided by Hodgman's inflection and a giggling, kindly co-host, but including them here felt like a disservice to the reader. The world is funny enough as it is; why resort to injecting your reimagining of it?
Overall, this book was a lot of fun to read and I really appreciated the moments of sincerity and vulnerability, which are plentiful. I already know which essays I'll think back to, and they're the ones that have nothing to do with points and everything to do with people. My favorites are: the one about pets, the one about jobs, and and the one about the election. I'm now really looking forward to reading Vacationland, since my impression is that it's an even more personal and humanistic work.
