Customer Reviews

Around the World in a Bad Mood!: Confessions of a Flight Attendant

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Since I fly fairly regularly, I was immediately drawn to this book's title. "Confessions of a flight attendant?", I thought while flipping through it at an airport bookstore. "Sounds like fun!"

But be warned. This book is based on Ms. Foss' stage show of the same name, and while I'm sure that it's hilariously funny theater, it doesn't translate onto the written page well. If you're expecting fascinating tips and revelations about the air travel industry, or any dish on the airlines themselves, you will be disappointed.

"Around The World" is a self-indulgent biography/humor book about Ms. Foss' life as a flight attendant. What do we learn from her 17 years of experience? Well, let's see: People are rude, a flight attendant's job isn't glamorous, and air travel isn't much fun. Now, if you knew any of that before reading this book, then you probably won't learn anything new here.

Because she's still working as a flight attendant (and probably doesn't want to get sued), Ms. Foss has made the book about a fictional airline called WAFTI (We Apologize For This Inconvenience Airlines). Expecting to hear dirt about United, American, TWA, Continental, etc? Sorry -- never mentioned. Hoping for the insider tips on travelling that only a flight attendant could possibly know about? Look elsewhere. Want to read too-long, pointless chapters about how a girl destined for show business was forced to get a job, move to a new city, and ... *gasp* ... pick up other people's trash? You're in luck, my friend.

Think your job's tough? Well, it probably is...maybe you should write a book about it. Ms. Foss did, and I paid [too much] for a whiney, shallow read that felt too much like listening to someone else's painfully awkward therapy session. That said, I did get through it for two reasons, one good and one bad. The good: it's a light breezy read. The bad: I kept hoping that the next chapter would have worthwhile information in it. Needless to say, it didn't.

I'd probably see the stage show if I'm ever in New York because, like the book, the idea of it sounds fun. But unless you enjoy mundane, unsurprising observations about life at 30,000 feet, this book (like this pun) never gets off the ground.

I have read this book at least 10x! And everytime it cracks me up. I recommend it to every FA I meet. I can so relate! Whenever I am having a rough day and forget why I chose this career to begin with, I read it again and it brightens my mood!

On my way to flight attendant training I bought this book and realized why I wanted to be a flight attendnat after all. The stories are real and funny. True and ridiculous. Loved it.

Now I'm a flight attendant and I still reread this book - she reminds me that all of us have gone through the things she describes.

Rene Foss is a real life Flight Attendant and an even funnier author. I laughed out loud on the plane as I read her accounts of the safety demonstration and picking up trash. It is just plain fun and pure entertainment. If you have ever sat in an airplane seat, this will tickle your funny bone

This one was a "couldn't put down book. I took it to school and passed it on to some friends. I am not really a reading type of person, A matter of fact I was sick one day and I was watching today and they were interviewing Rene Foss. I had never heard of her before,and just thought to myself who in the world would want to be an author. but this book totally changed my way of thinking and made me want to read more books. The thing was books are so boring and rene made that turn around. she made the book so interesting i just need to find more books by her.

This book is little more than a long article and is, I'm afraid, nothing special. Ms. Foss became a flight attendant after that show biz career failed to work out, then wrote this book and some kind of musical based on same. The book is a long series of gripes about the job/passengers/travel. That's about it.

"Plane Insanity" is a similar book but much more entertaining, I would recommend you read that if you want to read about flight atendants.

This is a funny book. However, if you are thinking of becoming a Flight Attendant, I wouldn't read this book. Ms. Ross put together a funny book of her observations. Although, she seems to talk about all of the negative aspects of her job. In fact, there is only one chapter where she talks about what she likes about her job. She never admits to loving her job, yet she has ben doing it for 16 years. It did make me laugh......if you have a long layover you might want to check it out and give it a read. It does make you appreciate Flight Attendants. All in all, an average book.

If your searching for inside tips on travel, inside dirt on specific airlines, your in the wrong book. However if you want to read of a typical flight attendants life, this is the book. While some of you wrote negatively about this book I personally think it was funny and enjoyable. I'm a flight attendant and absolutely love my job, but some of the tales she tells are replays of real incidences I've experienced myself. For those who feel Rene "doesnt" like her job, you obviously didnt read the book to the end. Rene loves her work and like most flight attendants, its a career that gets in your blood (if it wasnt there from the start) and you never want to do anything else. Being a flight attendant is no different from any other career in that it does have its days that offer some very large challenges, but to add humour to these challenges is what Rene did.

"Around the World" doesn't attempt to change air travel or have great literary impact. It's light entertainment. It helps to laugh when we find ourselves in the bad situations Foss describes so well.
From first hand experience, I know the job has its good and bad days, just like any other job. But many of us take pride in our work as safety, customer service and medical professionals. I enjoy making a passenger's journey better, even if it's just a smile and a friendly greeting or a sympathetic ear.
Foss does like lists - airline terminology, everything she knows about life, different kinds of flight attendants, passenger types as determined by their trash output. Most of the lists are used effectively.
But the dialogue and songs taken from the musical revue of the same name don't read as well on a written page as when performed live on stage.
The book is a jaded view from somewhat frustrated with a career. Who doesn't get frustrated some days? But she doesn't claim to represent all of us. And she did make me laugh.

This is a well-written first book by the author. The description of her training seems a bit over the top but as I read another flight attendant memoir (Plane Insanity) I am finding the same outrageous descriptions of what flight attendants must go through before flying. As a frequent traveler I was very interested to get a bird's eye view of the work that goes into getting passengers from A-Z. I was not dissappointed. While I have been lucky not to have been in many of the crazy situations that the author describes, I can certainly envision them happening.