Coffee, Tea or Me? The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses (Paperback)

by Trudy Baker (Author), Rachel Jones (Author), Donald Bain (Author)
Key Phrases: stew zoo, senior stew, stewardess school, New York, George Kelman, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The kind of book that's a nuisance to own. Everyone wants to borrow it." -- Look

Review
"The kind of book that's a nuisance to own. Everyone wants to borrow it." (Look)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142003514
• ISBN-13: 978-0142003510
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,488 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars things sure have changed, November 1, 2003

By	Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Back in 1967 when this book was firs published it was considered to be prettty racy stuff. My parents owned a copy but I was never allowed to read it. Finally after all these years I saw the new edition and bought it. Things certainly have changed. Rachel and Trudy were lighthearted, funny girls who got into madcap adventures that no sane flight attendent today would dare try.

Back in the 60s stews had to be single, attractive and thin, today as anyone can tell you flight attendents don't have to be any of these things. Sex seemed to be a game both men and women were playing. Today romance on the job isn't much fun at all. Back then flying was still fun. Today it's more like Dante's Inferno. Rachel & Trudy occasionally dealt with pervert passengers, and often with drunks and rotten kids but the whole phenomenon of air rage was stil unknown.

Some of the observations Rachel and Trudy made about certain types of male passengers were considered beyond the pale back in '67, today we don't even give it a second thought. Check out their comments on page 237 and you'll see what I mean. One more thing I noticed about this funny book. It couldn't be written today. The whole mind numbing political correctness movement would've made an editor cut out whole chapters. The book will make you smile and it's like a historical artifact to boot.It's a peep into a swinging lost world.

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing read..., July 17, 2003

By	Ashley Ellis (Ft Lauderdale, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I don't know why I got this book, maybe the title grabbed my attention. I thought it would be interesting to read about life as a stewardess back in the 60's, when it was so glamorous. The book is choc full of anecdotes (sp?) about passengers and captains. I've really enjoyed reading about Trudy and Rachel's escapades, especially the chapter about their "basic training" like stewardess school. I haven't finished the book, but I am about 80% through it. I pick it up every once in awhile and read a chapter here and there. It's not like a novel in that I want to read the entire thing to see what happens. Overall I recommend it with 4 stars, I've gotten quite a lot of enjoyment in reading it and find it to be well worth the money spent.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Go in expecting a fun romp and you won't be disappointed, June 16, 2005

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I picked this up based solely on the reissue cover. I got into it and started wondering who the heck would talk like this, as a woman? Then, about 1/2 the way through, I read the intro and realized this was actually penned by a male who had interviewed a lot of stewardesses. It made me feel better that these weren't real women, but a man trying to sound like a woman.

This isn't a literary work, but it is a great beach read. Don't expect too much, and you'll be thrilled to join these two "women" on their careers. I was born well after the 60's, and it is fun to imagine how classy and upscale air travel was back then. It's certainly a contrast to the budget consciousness of today.

It was definitely a page turner, because I wanted to keep having more adventures in the crazy life of 60's stewardesses. Check this one out and have fun for a few hours.