Medallion Status

August 19, 2019
Comedian and actor Hodgman (Vacationland) discusses being in, but mostly out, of the spotlight in a humorous essay collection that addresses topics including his television appearances and his struggles to maintain his elite airline frequent flier status after he stopped flying extensively for work. “I enjoy being seen and recognized,” Hodgman writes, but “frankly it doesn’t happen often these days.” The author casts himself as a used-to-be-somewhat-famous person trying to figure out his place in the world. “Secret Family” relates how he overspent on a fancy Hollywood hotel, then crashed with friends: “Home is where they have to take you in,” he concludes. He talks about failing to get himself invited to a Golden Globes party (“Career Advice for Children”), scoring free jeans at the Emmy Awards gifting lounge (“Nude Rider”), and attending his 20-year college reunion (“Secret Society”) and seeing “all my old crumbling friends.” Hodgman’s best material focuses on the marketing tricks of the airline industry (“Thank You for Being Gold”), which manipulates passengers, Hodgman included, into competing for perks. “The Sky Lounge is not aspirational,” Hodgman writes. “It is desperational.” This funny, sometimes delightfully absurd book offers sharp meditations on status, relevance, and age, and fame—or at least being fame-adjacent.

September 15, 2019
The actor, humorist, and podcast host reflects on his Hollywood status and beyond. In this follow-up of sorts to Vacationland (2017), Hodgman continues his storytelling journey through recent career and personal life experiences. The title references his frequent flier program attached to his favorite airline. His obsession with the accumulating airline perks serves as a continuing metaphor within this loosely constructed narrative. "These stories are about my life and jobs in Hollywood 'Workland, ' while I was briefly welcome in that country," writes the author. "But there's no hiding that these really are stories about fame, and especially its dwindling. They are stories about the many different kinds of gifting lounges, private parties, and secret societies I was given entrance to just because I was on television sometimes, and to which I am no longer invited...." Throughout, Hodgman shares anecdotes about his varied, often amusing experiences working in show business. Early on, the author's humor fails to make an impact, often feeling forced, but the narrative improves as it moves along. In describing his desperate quest to receive a party invite while staying at the trendy Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, he offers wry insights into Hollywood's ranking system. Much of Hodgman's best writing involves his non-Hollywood experiences. In the humorous and surprisingly poignant chapter "This Was All Optional," he recounts his 18-year relationship with his curmudgeonly cat, who had to be put down. In "Two Buildings in Florida," the author chronicles his tour through Florida with the Boston Pops, taking detours to one of the headquarters of Scientology and Mar-a-Lago. "A Stranger Comes to Town" recounts his experiences as a part-time resident in rural Maine along with the quirky perks of becoming a well-grounded community member. A dry-witted and meandering writing style seems to have become Hodgman's trademark, and his latest will appeal most to his devoted readers. Up-and-down humor and intermittently engaging storytelling that falls short of the author's capabilities.

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September 15, 2019
Hodgman, actor, author, and contributor to The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's era, loves his chosen airline's frequent flier program a lot. So much so that he's made it the title of his latest book, and he devotes several chapters to his ascension up the rungs from Gold to Platinum to, finally, the coveted highest level: Diamond Medallion Tier. As he moves up the ladder of airline benefits, Hodgman takes readers into other rarefied spaces he's inhabited, from the swanky and storied Los Angeles hotel Chateau Marmont to the set of his FX series Married and the secret society he almost joined in college. But the journey Hodgman takes readers on doesn't always involve elite privilege. Hodgman also walks readers through the many odd jobs he held before making it big, from digging trenches to working in a movie theater to a surprisingly well-paid gig counting traffic. Along the way, Hodgman offers thoughtful musings about human nature and our drive for status. An entertaining and endearing entry from the author of Vacationland (2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)