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Jason Fitger #3
The English Experience
Jason Fitger may be the last faculty member the dean wants for the job, but he’s the only professor available to chaperone Payne University’s annual “ Abroad” (he has long been on the record objecting to the absurd and gratuitous colon between the words) occurring during the three weeks of winter term. Among his charges are a claustrophobe with a juvenile detention record, a student who erroneously believes he is headed for the Caribbean, a pair of unreconciled lovers, a set of undifferentiated twins, and one young woman who has never been away from her cat before.
Through a sea of troubles—personal, institutional, and international—the gimlet-eyed, acid-tongued Fitger strives to navigate safe passage for all concerned, revealing much about the essential need for human connection and the sometimes surprising places in which it is found.
Through a sea of troubles—personal, institutional, and international—the gimlet-eyed, acid-tongued Fitger strives to navigate safe passage for all concerned, revealing much about the essential need for human connection and the sometimes surprising places in which it is found.
230 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2023
About the author
Julie Schumacher
23 books377 followersJULIE SCHUMACHER grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Oberlin College and Cornell University, where she earned her MFA. Her first novel, The Body Is Water, was published by Soho Press in 1995 and was an ALA Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her 2014 novel, Dear Committee Members, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor; she is the first woman to have been so honored. She lives in St. Paul and is a faculty member in the Creative Writing Program and the Department of English at the University of Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 380 reviews
November 16, 2023
Extremely funny, spot on, and sweet! Very poignant despite the humor and lightness! If you have any experience with any of the the following things, or any similar things (these listed are just the most relevant from my own experience!), you will be able to relate:
Managing or teaching younger people
Going on a study abroad or other overseas learning experience as a young person, and then looking back later upon your deficiencies, of which you were wholly unaware at the time. Extra points if it was to England.
Going to or serving at a college in the Midwest, in any capacity, especially as part of an English Department, extra points if it was a small liberal arts type of school.
(Guilty as charged on all of the above.)
Also, this is likely apparent from other reviews, but the author uses a clever epistolary approach throughout much of this trilogy - especially deftly so in this installment, which incorporates much of the students’ writing, especially program admissions application essays and those ubiquitous “reflection paper” sorts of assignments, to great and humorous effect. I especially loved that the essays, funny and spot-on as they may individually be, cumulatively also manage to further the narrative and gently illuminate character development and growth in both the young students and their crusty professor.
The author has perfected the trilogy with this latest installment: just the right blend or balance of satire/cynicism and sweetness, light and hope! A good giggle and highly recommend. I read this on a trip to England, how perfect!
Managing or teaching younger people
Going on a study abroad or other overseas learning experience as a young person, and then looking back later upon your deficiencies, of which you were wholly unaware at the time. Extra points if it was to England.
Going to or serving at a college in the Midwest, in any capacity, especially as part of an English Department, extra points if it was a small liberal arts type of school.
(Guilty as charged on all of the above.)
Also, this is likely apparent from other reviews, but the author uses a clever epistolary approach throughout much of this trilogy - especially deftly so in this installment, which incorporates much of the students’ writing, especially program admissions application essays and those ubiquitous “reflection paper” sorts of assignments, to great and humorous effect. I especially loved that the essays, funny and spot-on as they may individually be, cumulatively also manage to further the narrative and gently illuminate character development and growth in both the young students and their crusty professor.
The author has perfected the trilogy with this latest installment: just the right blend or balance of satire/cynicism and sweetness, light and hope! A good giggle and highly recommend. I read this on a trip to England, how perfect!
July 5, 2023
Having enjoyed and laughed reading Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement, it was a delight to be back with Jay Fitger, head of the English Department at Payne, long divorced, sharing a dog with his ex-wife Janet, and suddenly tasked with the job of the Abroad experience, taking 11 students he doesn't know to England. The life of an academic, the life of an academic at a small university, with his own life something that seems in the rear view mirror, he has spent the ten years since his divorce wishing he could wind back time and relive his life differently, or more aware. His charges, meanwhile, are a motley group - neurotic or merely unformed, certain or lost and floundering, and we learn about them, as well as some of the sights of England through the essays they are required to write on the trip. Oh, but the spelling, oh but the connections they make, the self-absorption so rampant. Simultaneously fun and sad.
Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC.
Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC.
August 19, 2023
Full review on my blog!
Thank you to the author Julie Schumacher, publishers Doubleday, and as always, NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of THE ENGLISH EXPERIMENT. All views are mine.
...
For my friends on Bookstagram, this book will be a fittingly hilarious read as Schumacher riffs on bad form, both in writing, and also in being bitter about writing, even the imperfect kind.
...
Highly recommend for writers, educators, and devoted readers! So looking forward to going back and collecting the earlier two books in this series. This can be read as a standalone.
Rating: 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧.5 / 5 Union Jacks
Recommend? Absolutely!
Finished: August 11 2023
Format: Advance Digital Copy, NetGalley
Read this if you like:
✒️ Writing
📚 Reading
✈️ Traveling
😂 Comedy
😏 Wit and dry humor
Thank you to the author Julie Schumacher, publishers Doubleday, and as always, NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of THE ENGLISH EXPERIMENT. All views are mine.
...
For my friends on Bookstagram, this book will be a fittingly hilarious read as Schumacher riffs on bad form, both in writing, and also in being bitter about writing, even the imperfect kind.
...
Highly recommend for writers, educators, and devoted readers! So looking forward to going back and collecting the earlier two books in this series. This can be read as a standalone.
Rating: 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧.5 / 5 Union Jacks
Recommend? Absolutely!
Finished: August 11 2023
Format: Advance Digital Copy, NetGalley
Read this if you like:
✒️ Writing
📚 Reading
✈️ Traveling
😂 Comedy
😏 Wit and dry humor
June 19, 2024
This is not as funny as her first book in this series - Dear Committee Members (but few books are that funny) -it's more like the second book - The Shakespeare Requirement.
In this story Fitger is forced to take a group of Payne students to England. While there he has them write a daily essay on what they did or what they saw or what captured their attention. It's the student essays that captive the reader. Some are very well written - some are poorly written - but most students through their essays begin to reveal themselves. In some cases - it's almost heartbreaking (I say almost because the last chapter takes place 3 years later and I was relieved to find out where all the students were at that point.)
There are two young men - so lost and confused about who they are and what life has in store for them due to personal trauma. One assignment has the student write about something they saw/did and at the same time write about how they felt while visiting/observing this experience. One of the students- struggles on how to write the essay and does so in two parts - the top of the page is the observation and the bottom of the page are his feelings - heartbreaking.
The young man that helps Fitger when he has his heart attack - he lives with survivor's guilt from no fault of his own - and one can't help but see that helping Fitger may be the first step in him forgiving himself and moving on - I was happy to see where he was three years later.
There are a set of twin sisters on this trip - their essays are always a joint project and are very clever in style and form. However they are the least interesting students. I think it's because they move through the world as a team - they always have someone who understands them, knows them completely and will have their backs. These two young women are confident in who they are and where they want to go and that makes them ....boring. Which is not to say I was bored - the juxtaposition of reading their essays to the other student's essays highlighted the confusion of those students - they are 19/20 years old and unsure of who they are now and where they want to go/be in life - and how to get there. At one point in the story - Fitger's ex-wife, Janet, after reading some of the essays comments on how glad she is that she's not 20 anymore and that is exactly how I felt.
I liked the different ways Fitger direct the individual students on their essays - use a comma more, use a new word, etc., small directions. Or how he could be moved by a poorly written essay. In many ways, the character, Fitger, is the butt of the jokes in these books but I would have liked him as my professor.
This is a long review for a short book - as you can tell - I loved it.
6/24
Re-read for book club - still loved it and it's funny that in this reread the 'twins' weren't such a big part of the story. How funny that they stood out in my first reading. Of course, this time I know what's going on so perhaps that is the reason.
In this story Fitger is forced to take a group of Payne students to England. While there he has them write a daily essay on what they did or what they saw or what captured their attention. It's the student essays that captive the reader. Some are very well written - some are poorly written - but most students through their essays begin to reveal themselves. In some cases - it's almost heartbreaking (I say almost because the last chapter takes place 3 years later and I was relieved to find out where all the students were at that point.)
There are two young men - so lost and confused about who they are and what life has in store for them due to personal trauma. One assignment has the student write about something they saw/did and at the same time write about how they felt while visiting/observing this experience. One of the students- struggles on how to write the essay and does so in two parts - the top of the page is the observation and the bottom of the page are his feelings - heartbreaking.
The young man that helps Fitger when he has his heart attack - he lives with survivor's guilt from no fault of his own - and one can't help but see that helping Fitger may be the first step in him forgiving himself and moving on - I was happy to see where he was three years later.
There are a set of twin sisters on this trip - their essays are always a joint project and are very clever in style and form. However they are the least interesting students. I think it's because they move through the world as a team - they always have someone who understands them, knows them completely and will have their backs. These two young women are confident in who they are and where they want to go and that makes them ....boring. Which is not to say I was bored - the juxtaposition of reading their essays to the other student's essays highlighted the confusion of those students - they are 19/20 years old and unsure of who they are now and where they want to go/be in life - and how to get there. At one point in the story - Fitger's ex-wife, Janet, after reading some of the essays comments on how glad she is that she's not 20 anymore and that is exactly how I felt.
I liked the different ways Fitger direct the individual students on their essays - use a comma more, use a new word, etc., small directions. Or how he could be moved by a poorly written essay. In many ways, the character, Fitger, is the butt of the jokes in these books but I would have liked him as my professor.
This is a long review for a short book - as you can tell - I loved it.
6/24
Re-read for book club - still loved it and it's funny that in this reread the 'twins' weren't such a big part of the story. How funny that they stood out in my first reading. Of course, this time I know what's going on so perhaps that is the reason.
June 29, 2023
Jason Fitger, a longtime uninspiring English professor and now head of the department at Payne College, was the last choice to lead a group of students for a study abroad course in London. But, it was last minute and there really was no one else. The class is a conglomeration of students, including someone who has never been away from her cat, a student who thought he was signing up for a trip to the Caribbean, and another one who is claustrophobic and has a dubious history. What could go wrong?
Fitger was the main character in Schumacher’s prior two novels, including Dear Committee Members which won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
This was an entertaining, humorous, surprisingly poignant satire. Not only are readers privy to many of the misadventures on the trip, but, as an added bonus, there are a sprinkling of the non sequitur, scarily a grammatical /poorly spelled essays written by the students. I loved some of Schumacher’s observations of the European experience. One of my favorites was the comment about a guide they encountered who spoke six languages. In the US, anyone with that expertise would be “considered a diplomat or a genius.” In London, that accomplishment only resulted in a part-time guide job.
This was a fun break from some of the heavier novels I have read recently.
Thanks to #netgalley and #doubledaybooks for the ARC
Fitger was the main character in Schumacher’s prior two novels, including Dear Committee Members which won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
This was an entertaining, humorous, surprisingly poignant satire. Not only are readers privy to many of the misadventures on the trip, but, as an added bonus, there are a sprinkling of the non sequitur, scarily a grammatical /poorly spelled essays written by the students. I loved some of Schumacher’s observations of the European experience. One of my favorites was the comment about a guide they encountered who spoke six languages. In the US, anyone with that expertise would be “considered a diplomat or a genius.” In London, that accomplishment only resulted in a part-time guide job.
This was a fun break from some of the heavier novels I have read recently.
Thanks to #netgalley and #doubledaybooks for the ARC
August 10, 2023
All abroad!
A reluctant faculty member, hoping for an uninspiring break at home, finds himself chaperoning Payne University’s Experience Abroad program to England.
His students appear to be just as reluctant especially the one who thought he was going to Jamaica.
Jason Fitger designs his program around the written word desiring a 500 word essay each night about the student’s perceptions of the institutions visited. All very ho hum, although their responses often made me hold my head in my hands, unsure as to whether laugh or sigh.
Talk about Reluctanter meeting Reluctantees!
Hilarious at times and poignant at others, this is what happens when these particular two R’s meet.
I wasn’t sure, if given a choice between the two, Fitger or his students, which I felt more sympathy for.
Some absolute language usage gems and wonderful turns of phrases abound.
A Doubleday ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
A reluctant faculty member, hoping for an uninspiring break at home, finds himself chaperoning Payne University’s Experience Abroad program to England.
His students appear to be just as reluctant especially the one who thought he was going to Jamaica.
Jason Fitger designs his program around the written word desiring a 500 word essay each night about the student’s perceptions of the institutions visited. All very ho hum, although their responses often made me hold my head in my hands, unsure as to whether laugh or sigh.
Talk about Reluctanter meeting Reluctantees!
Hilarious at times and poignant at others, this is what happens when these particular two R’s meet.
I wasn’t sure, if given a choice between the two, Fitger or his students, which I felt more sympathy for.
Some absolute language usage gems and wonderful turns of phrases abound.
A Doubleday ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
September 9, 2023
I enjoyed this one. It was kind of funny. I loved the author's way with words. It was the perfect book for my day.
I enjoyed the little details about each of the characters. They came to life. And the essays at the end were perfect. So 4 stars.
I enjoyed the little details about each of the characters. They came to life. And the essays at the end were perfect. So 4 stars.
July 29, 2024
This third book of a series which began with the hilarious
Dear Committee Members
hit the spot for me. It is funny and heart-warming, and the Jay Fitger I fell in love with in the first book is on full display.
August 22, 2024
Rating: 2.75
The phrase, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' comes to mind when contemplating this story; the beholder couldn't find much beauty, but instead a lackluster attempt at storytelling. Sense of humors vary as do individual tastes, and there was nary a snicker, giggle or smirk when reading this.
Put simply, its the story of Jay Fitger, an introverted English professor whose tasked with chaperoning a small group of dysfunctional college students to England, aka 'The English Experience". As with any instructor, he tasks the morons with writing a daily 500 word essay describing the 'experience' they have at various locations. In between the poorly written essays, he battles with his ex-wife who minds the shared custody pooch named Rogaine.
That's all there is to this which doesn't say much for the author. That said, some might find the psychologically damages students entertaining, but after reading the first essays of each, the rest are predictable as is the plot. "..and that's all I'm gonna say about that.." ~ Forrest Gump
The phrase, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' comes to mind when contemplating this story; the beholder couldn't find much beauty, but instead a lackluster attempt at storytelling. Sense of humors vary as do individual tastes, and there was nary a snicker, giggle or smirk when reading this.
Put simply, its the story of Jay Fitger, an introverted English professor whose tasked with chaperoning a small group of dysfunctional college students to England, aka 'The English Experience". As with any instructor, he tasks the morons with writing a daily 500 word essay describing the 'experience' they have at various locations. In between the poorly written essays, he battles with his ex-wife who minds the shared custody pooch named Rogaine.
That's all there is to this which doesn't say much for the author. That said, some might find the psychologically damages students entertaining, but after reading the first essays of each, the rest are predictable as is the plot. "..and that's all I'm gonna say about that.." ~ Forrest Gump
January 11, 2024
When Richard Russo says "Wise and hilarious and heartbreaking" on the cover of a book, take it seriously. I thought this was just an acerbic look at the generation gap between a fastidious, rigid older professor and his students; by the end, I had tears in my eyes. Jay Fitger is bullied by the administration into chaperoning 11 students on a January term to England. With a sharp understanding of the absurdity of his task, this curmudgeon, who insists on a daily summary from each student with proper grammar and punctuation, realizes quickly that he's out of his depth. The students are the source of the hilarity Russo describes. They include a claustrophobic young man who has been in juvenile detention for an undisclosed crime, twin art students (Fitger has no hope of telling them apart), two students who have recently (and angrily) broken off their relationship, and a young man obsessed with the paranormal who is only interested in ghost walks, cemeteries, and Jack the Ripper tours. My personal favorite is the young woman, Felicity, who lives off-campus with her mother and has never been away from her beloved cat.
The poignancy in this short novel comes from the way students and professor gradually learn about each other's quirks and change one another for the better. The ending is just perfect. I was actually thrilled to find out that this is the third book in a loose trilogy (I haven't read the first two, Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement), because now there are more of Professor Fitger's adventures in academia for me to enjoy.
The poignancy in this short novel comes from the way students and professor gradually learn about each other's quirks and change one another for the better. The ending is just perfect. I was actually thrilled to find out that this is the third book in a loose trilogy (I haven't read the first two, Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement), because now there are more of Professor Fitger's adventures in academia for me to enjoy.
May 15, 2023
Oh, this is my world and I enjoyed this delicious satire. Poor, overworked and under appreciated Jay Fitger is called upon (ordered) to escort a group of11 diverse, neurotic, college students for an experience in England.
Poor Professor Fitger, nothing goes his way.
The reader is allowed to glimpse into the inner lives of the students and the unresolved issues of our beleaguered professor. This is a satire, but for those of you who feel this is overly exaggerated, I can attest that there’s less exaggeration than you’d think. I have graduate students who are in education programs and still write PRINCIPLE, rather than principal.
I have received essays that are equally off-topic. I asked student teachers to write about the most gratifying event of their week, I received a long essay about a child complimenting my student teachers’ shoes. So, Schumacher and Fitger really had me smiling. I suspect that reading this book with colleagues will be lots of fun.
I recommend this to reading groups that will have fun reading and discussing this adventure in England. Thank you Netgalley for this delightful novel.
Poor Professor Fitger, nothing goes his way.
The reader is allowed to glimpse into the inner lives of the students and the unresolved issues of our beleaguered professor. This is a satire, but for those of you who feel this is overly exaggerated, I can attest that there’s less exaggeration than you’d think. I have graduate students who are in education programs and still write PRINCIPLE, rather than principal.
I have received essays that are equally off-topic. I asked student teachers to write about the most gratifying event of their week, I received a long essay about a child complimenting my student teachers’ shoes. So, Schumacher and Fitger really had me smiling. I suspect that reading this book with colleagues will be lots of fun.
I recommend this to reading groups that will have fun reading and discussing this adventure in England. Thank you Netgalley for this delightful novel.
September 5, 2023
On the one hand, it’s criminal that the Thurber Prize was never awarded to a woman until Julie Schumacher came around. On the other hand … nope, same hand, still criminal, but at least they chose a corker to break the patriarchal streak. Read the whole trilogy and thank me later.
January 3, 2024
4.5. A joy to read, and NOT just because I went to college with Julie. It was a breath of fresh air after reading a bunch of mediocre Tournament of Books shortlist books.
March 3, 2024
For anyone who enjoys a campus farce and a good satirical roasting of Academia, this trilogy is absolute perfection.
I wondered if the schtick of these would really hold up through three novels, but it absolutely does, right to the very end.
Schumacher has created a terrific protagonist in Jason Fitger, the cranky, jaded, and long-suffering English Department chair at Payne University. Most readers drawn to these books will see a little of themselves in Fitger,(for better and for worse).
I was so pleased to see the series tackle the rite of academic passage that is study abroad in this book, with predictably hilarious results.
Finally, I’ll forever admire what the author did with these books structurally. This is a tough format to use successfully, and it’s flawlessly done here.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I wondered if the schtick of these would really hold up through three novels, but it absolutely does, right to the very end.
Schumacher has created a terrific protagonist in Jason Fitger, the cranky, jaded, and long-suffering English Department chair at Payne University. Most readers drawn to these books will see a little of themselves in Fitger,(for better and for worse).
I was so pleased to see the series tackle the rite of academic passage that is study abroad in this book, with predictably hilarious results.
Finally, I’ll forever admire what the author did with these books structurally. This is a tough format to use successfully, and it’s flawlessly done here.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
January 15, 2024
Oh how I am going to miss Jason Fitger!
December 20, 2023
So funny and clever and appealing - expecially if you are an English teacher or professor.
August 25, 2023
Too many of these academic humor books seem imitative of Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim. This one starts out that way. Having been a college English teacher for decades, I might not be the right reader. I have had all of these students in class, but they weren’t such stereotypes. I have also read papers with all of their sentence fragments, comma splices, bad metaphors, and spelling errors. I haven’t read papers that were quite as unfocused and self-centered as these. The book strengthens as it goes and only takes a few hours to read. But if you haven’t read Lucky Jim, it is a better use of time.
May 6, 2023
When I heard this book was coming out, I realized that I had never read the 2nd book in the series, and I read and enjoyed that one. I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of The English Experience, and it was my favorite of the trilogy. I loved the premise of an aging professor taking students he didn't already know to England for an intersession class he was unprepared to teach and while he was preoccupied with personal issues. I particularly liked the humor in the book, and I loved reading the students' papers and seeing their grammatical errors and misuse of the English language. I found the book very charming, funny and unpredictable. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.
October 8, 2023
RTC. Funny, poignant, entertaining.
May 4, 2024
This is the third in the series about Jason Fitger, English professor at Payne University. It could be read as a stand alone, but is a bit more fun having read the others. In this book, the beleaguered professor is coerced into the Experience: England study abroad program with 11 students. They were supposedly hand picked, but seem to be a random group of troubled young adults. Fitger dreads going and as he imagined things happen: one student leaves the group to travel Europe alone, one student really hasn't left home before, several have physical and psychological issues. Not to mention Fitger's own issues.
This book really was funny, heartbreaking, and reaffirming. I loved it!! It made me think of all my professors and after seeing the movie The Holdovers, I see Paul Giamatti as Fitger. To me, he is a likable guy, but flawed. I really hope the author writes more of Jason Fitger, but if not, this is a fitting end to the series.
This book really was funny, heartbreaking, and reaffirming. I loved it!! It made me think of all my professors and after seeing the movie The Holdovers, I see Paul Giamatti as Fitger. To me, he is a likable guy, but flawed. I really hope the author writes more of Jason Fitger, but if not, this is a fitting end to the series.
November 12, 2023
I was delighted to find this book on my library’s new release shelf. I really enjoyed Dear Committee Members and hadn’t realized there were more books about the grumpy, but endearing Professor Fitger. In this installment, he gets coerced into leading a study abroad in England. I did a similar 3 week study UK abroad program in grad school and currently lead literary tours in England, so this was a perfect read for me. I am excited to go backwards and read the second book in the series.
November 19, 2024
Very enjoyable, quick read! Felt as though a lot of things were building up to some sort of message or theme, but in the end whatever that was felt flat. I enjoyed the in depth characterization, but would have loved a little bit more time with the characters/resolution of their stories. Good read for any Anglophiles like myself!
December 6, 2024
Professor Fitger is the chaperone on the annual international trip for his English class at Payne University. While in London, his eleven students have a variety of personal issues they are each working through. Fitger tasks the group of misfits to write a daily essay on what was learned each day when visiting various landmarks and museums. Fitger and the group all learned a lot by the end of the trip not only from the assignments but the close personal interaction.
November 26, 2023
Overall an enjoyable read that I liked, the audio was good also but this will not be a memorable read for me. I have not read the first two books in this series but I don't think that was an issue here.
Thank you to PRH Audio and Random House for the complimentary copies to review.
Thank you to PRH Audio and Random House for the complimentary copies to review.
October 31, 2023
Not for me. I am ashamed to admit that I finished the book. Only likeable character is D.B. everyone else is vapid, hate to think it represents the college age now.
May 24, 2024
Several years ago, I read and thoroughly enjoyed "Dear Committee Members," Julie Schumacher's book about the letters written by the fictional Jayson T. Fitger, Professor of Creative Writing and English, at the also fictional Payne University. That book made me laugh my ass off- It so perfectly lampoons the ups and downs of college academics. As a former graduate student of English and a hapless adjunct professor in ESL, I was painfully familiar with the issues, politics, and petty grievances that consume the lives of college communities. It was funny and sweet and sad all at the same time. I loved it.
So the other day, in an article about good books about campus life, I was happy to be reminded of this book, and to see that Julie Schumacher had written two others in the same world!
I immediately downloaded both of them. So far, I have not been disappointed.
For the most part, in my 100+ books per year, I read highly recommended books that have been listed on best of lists. I do this because as a wanna be librarian, I'm trying to stay abreast of current books that might be of interest to library patrons. The problem with this is that a lot of critically acclaimed books end up being serious and depressing. They are about recovering from traumas or tragedies or often overlooked historical periods that were horrifically racist and misogynistic and cruel--- and while some of these books turn out well in the end, and most are extremely well written, sometimes I just want to read something light that makes me laugh. The English Experience did this for me.
It actually turned out to be another book about Jayson T. Fitger. In this book, he is chosen (he is the only one without a good excuse) to teach a 3 week study abroad program in England during the January term. We get to experience this adventure with him---through the application letters written by the students, to their assignments (most of which don't follow directions), to the overheard snippets of conversations, and the disconnect between what professors think students should see on a trip to England and what young people want to do when abroad with a group of similarly aged friends in a place that has a more accessible drinking age--this book covered all the bases. Having been both a student on a summer abroad trip to England and a teacher that has chaperoned students abroad, I could see all the familiar sides of this issue--and once again, I found it funny and charming and so good to read.
I'm the perfect target audience for Julie Schumacher. I love her books, and I eagerly await the next one, The Shakespeare Requirement. Will everyone like this book? I'm not sure. I love it in part because it is about my experiences. Would someone who has not been as absorbed in teaching English like it as much? I hope so, but I'm not 100% sure. What I am absolutely sure of is the fact that sometimes it is nice to read something light that makes you laugh. I need more books like this in my life and on my reading list.
So the other day, in an article about good books about campus life, I was happy to be reminded of this book, and to see that Julie Schumacher had written two others in the same world!
I immediately downloaded both of them. So far, I have not been disappointed.
For the most part, in my 100+ books per year, I read highly recommended books that have been listed on best of lists. I do this because as a wanna be librarian, I'm trying to stay abreast of current books that might be of interest to library patrons. The problem with this is that a lot of critically acclaimed books end up being serious and depressing. They are about recovering from traumas or tragedies or often overlooked historical periods that were horrifically racist and misogynistic and cruel--- and while some of these books turn out well in the end, and most are extremely well written, sometimes I just want to read something light that makes me laugh. The English Experience did this for me.
It actually turned out to be another book about Jayson T. Fitger. In this book, he is chosen (he is the only one without a good excuse) to teach a 3 week study abroad program in England during the January term. We get to experience this adventure with him---through the application letters written by the students, to their assignments (most of which don't follow directions), to the overheard snippets of conversations, and the disconnect between what professors think students should see on a trip to England and what young people want to do when abroad with a group of similarly aged friends in a place that has a more accessible drinking age--this book covered all the bases. Having been both a student on a summer abroad trip to England and a teacher that has chaperoned students abroad, I could see all the familiar sides of this issue--and once again, I found it funny and charming and so good to read.
I'm the perfect target audience for Julie Schumacher. I love her books, and I eagerly await the next one, The Shakespeare Requirement. Will everyone like this book? I'm not sure. I love it in part because it is about my experiences. Would someone who has not been as absorbed in teaching English like it as much? I hope so, but I'm not 100% sure. What I am absolutely sure of is the fact that sometimes it is nice to read something light that makes you laugh. I need more books like this in my life and on my reading list.
November 9, 2023
I have enjoyed the adventures (misadventures?) of Professor Jason Fitger in two previous books and Julie Schumacher has managed to maintain his character as well as the overall tone and gentle humor of the first two in this installment. "The English Experience" follows Professor Fitger and a motley crew of eleven undergraduate students to England for a three week term. In keeping with Fitger's persona and luck, all does not go smoothly.
Two quotes summarize the overall feel of this book:
On page 159, Fitger's inner dialogue includes this self analysis: "...he was a lonely, blundering man in the twilight years of an undistinguished career."
On page 162, one of the students turns in a final essay with this gem: "Personally, I do not think grammar should count so much in what is supposed to be a writing class."
If you've taught or been taught, if you've stumbled in your personal life or in your career, if you've lived, I think you can find something of yourself in these pages.
The door seems open for another installment and I hope Schumacher will deliver it soon.
Two quotes summarize the overall feel of this book:
On page 159, Fitger's inner dialogue includes this self analysis: "...he was a lonely, blundering man in the twilight years of an undistinguished career."
On page 162, one of the students turns in a final essay with this gem: "Personally, I do not think grammar should count so much in what is supposed to be a writing class."
If you've taught or been taught, if you've stumbled in your personal life or in your career, if you've lived, I think you can find something of yourself in these pages.
The door seems open for another installment and I hope Schumacher will deliver it soon.
March 27, 2024
This book was an antidote to the heaviness of There There. It is a light hearted and funny novel about an aging English professor at a small mid western college who is the only available faculty member to accompany a group of students on a three week study abroad mid term trip to England. Based in London, the group explores the city and southern England with their reluctant professor, who attempts to impose rules of grammar and diction on their daily writing assignments while also trying to understand and connect with 19 years olds. Meanwhile this motley group of students, including undifferentiated twins, a young man who thought he was going to the Caribbean, a love struck basketball player trying to persuade his ex girlfriend to return to him, and a young woman who has never been away from her cat, complete writing assignments that are at once hilarious and disturbing, giving the professor and the reader a view of England unseen before.
September 23, 2023
This "Jason Fitger" series is a hoot! Julie Schumacher has a wonderful sense of humor that I just love!
This is the third book in the series, but I think a person could read it without having to read the other books.
Jason Fitger is the head of the English Department at Payne University (where students wear T-shirts that say "Payne: Where Education Hurts" and "No Pleasure without Payne") and in this episode, he is "roped into" chaperoning a group of eleven students to England for the "Experience: Abroad" program -- because there just isn't anyone else available!
So Jason goes to England -- under duress. But the experience, bonding, and interactions with his students are heartwarming, if also truly hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud more than once ;)
I have enjoyed each of these books, but this one really tickled me. I highly recommend it!
This is the third book in the series, but I think a person could read it without having to read the other books.
Jason Fitger is the head of the English Department at Payne University (where students wear T-shirts that say "Payne: Where Education Hurts" and "No Pleasure without Payne") and in this episode, he is "roped into" chaperoning a group of eleven students to England for the "Experience: Abroad" program -- because there just isn't anyone else available!
So Jason goes to England -- under duress. But the experience, bonding, and interactions with his students are heartwarming, if also truly hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud more than once ;)
I have enjoyed each of these books, but this one really tickled me. I highly recommend it!
September 13, 2023
I'm in a strangely productive place, in terms of reading, so far for the month of August. Of course, it helps when delightful bits of fluff like this are delivered by the public library. So, yeah, this wasn't as funny as the previous two books in the "series" but there were still plenty of chuckles to be had. I was afraid I was going to hate all the 500-word essays, but those may have ended up being one of the highlights for me [and I'm dying for some of the English Composition faculty I know to read this and give me their report on those!].
3.5 stars of the mostly lighthearted fun I needed right now.
3.5 stars of the mostly lighthearted fun I needed right now.
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