21 Dog Years
by Mike Daisey
Mike Daisey is a brilliant comic actor who does one-man performances on a bare stage, equipped with a desk, a chair, a glass of water, and an outline. This book describes how he came to have this occupation, rather than his previous employment in the customer service department of Amazon.com.
It's a pleasant memoir, although we know from the start, roughly, where this is going to end. There's a terrific novel trying to escape from the confines of reality. But you knew that. The memoir is fun, and Daisey is a very fine storyteller, and when it all winds up in a café in Madrid with his fiancée (and now director) Jean-Michel as they sip their third beer of the morning, we really do understand the hero's journey sometimes involves lots of meetings and free office supplies.