The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Meeting, by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris

These Fireside guys crack me up.  Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris's latest stroke of hilarity is The Fireside Grown-Up Guide to the Meeting.  If you have ever worked in an office, or ever been to a meeting, you will laugh out loud at their understated humor.  The Fireside books all follow the same model, a few short sentences on each page, accompanied by illustrations that look like they are from the 1950s.  It's a style reminiscent of an elementary reader from that era, teaching grown-ups about the world around them "by breaking down the complexity of grown-up life into easy-to-digest nuggets of information, and pairing them with colorful illustrations even a child could understand."

Some selections:

"Meetings are important because they give everyone a chance to talk about work.  Which is easier than doing it."

"Adam's life is being consumed, piece by tiny piece, while he pretends to care about faucets."  (Instead of faucets, insert your line of work.)

"Most of people at this meeting have nothing to say, but they say something anyway."

"Mr. Beverley is reading out a sixty-page document entitled 'The Paperless Office.'  Yesterday Mr. Beverley e-mailed the document to everyone and told them to read it before the meeting, which they all did.  Just in case, he hands everyone a printed copy."

"These important people are discussing workplace diversity."  (Pictured: a group of middle-aged, white males sitting around a table.)

This Fireside guide is a terrific parody of office foibles, meeting quirks, and the modern white-collar lifestyle.  It's pretty hilarious.  Check it out--and take it to your next meeting.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!