Dear Committee Members

A novel

By: Julie Schumacher

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Finally a novel that puts the "pissed" back into "epistolary."

Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville's Bartleby. In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies. We recommend Dear Committee Members to you in the strongest possible terms.

Fabulous!

The story is clever, funny, intelligent, delightful. I didn't want it to end. The narrator's voice captured the tone perfectly. This is a book to listen to rather than read, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

This Book Has Saved Me A Fortune

In the future of contributions to my own university. Fortunately, I only spent four years there, and never contemplated even the smallest foray into academia. Judging from the reviews, there is a wide variety of opinion. I found it understated, amusing and consistent with my understanding of the subject matter.

A few charming tales, but.......

A few of these letters are charming, but you can only listen to the mental ramblings of self-important intellegensia for so long.

A powerful satire captures America's betrayal of the Academic mission

Loved the actor/reader. The insights offered on the sorrows and cynicism affecting the human beings behind the bricks and mortar of Academe are delivered as satire but not without passion and empathy.

great introduction into the culture of the academy

this is a really funny laugh out loud but at the same time occasionally serious introduction to the culture of the academy.

gorgeous narration.