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ESC: a nostalgic guide to breaking up with the corporate world to pursue what you love
I used to labor in advertising. It almost killed me. Then I began waking up at 5 AM to write for three hours before heading to corporate hell. This is what saved me. The end result was collection of indelible stories sent to family and friends under the Subject Line: ESC
Phil Brody's ESC consists of forty-seven funny and poignant stories recounting his painfully hilarious journey growing up in the Midwest, working in the corporate world, and finally chasing his life-long dream to be a writer. The seemingly unrelated stories overlap and intertwine in unexpected ways, creating an entertaining narrative that will make you smile, cringe, and laugh-out-loud.
Phil Brody's ESC consists of forty-seven funny and poignant stories recounting his painfully hilarious journey growing up in the Midwest, working in the corporate world, and finally chasing his life-long dream to be a writer. The seemingly unrelated stories overlap and intertwine in unexpected ways, creating an entertaining narrative that will make you smile, cringe, and laugh-out-loud.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2015
8 people want to read
About the author
Phil Brody
3 books21 followersPhil Brody lives in Los Angeles and writes every day. He began his career in Chicago in advertising. After moving to LA, Brody toiled in development, penned a few spec scripts, and has worked as a writer, producer, and director in documentary TV. Brody is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and an alumnus of Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica, California. The Holden Age of Hollywood is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2015
Hopeful and reminiscent
What can I say? This is love story dedicated to Chicago and a sweet memoir of childhood (and young adulthood). It's a sweet little peek into the author's mind and memory. Part imagination, part truth, this book had me at "haiku".
What can I say? This is love story dedicated to Chicago and a sweet memoir of childhood (and young adulthood). It's a sweet little peek into the author's mind and memory. Part imagination, part truth, this book had me at "haiku".
December 3, 2015
Escape with "ESC"
For anyone who has held a desk job, seen a Mike Judge film, or been stuck in a situation they felt they could never get out of, this book is a perfect and satisfying bit of real-life-fiction. Funny, touching, and sometimes sad vignettes culled from years of being trapped in the advertising world season this tasty morsel of a book.
The author creates a workspace so real you root for him every step of the way. You identify with the loss of childhood innocence, the ability to just play, and the realization that the adult world isn’t going anywhere. It’s sink or swim, so why not enjoy your time in the water, whichever way you decide to go. Stories of childhood games and humorless co-workers/bosses will have you trying to escape with your faithful narrator. One especially touching and poignant tale of love that almost was, yet most certainly never will be had me laughing and shedding tears.
Author Phil Brody has a way of putting you in his shoes. Even though you know they aren’t your shoes, you can’t escape the connection you feel as his tales unfold. You will feel like you’ve actually spent years trapped in a job you love aspects of but as a whole you know is evil and can only ultimately lead to unhappiness. And of course, the cathartic release of finally freeing yourself from that tragic path only adds to the deep exhale of relief you will take when you finish reading his wonderfully woven words.
I especially love the stories that unfold in the format of a movie, like a screenplay. Brody is quite adept at creating a scene and letting it play out in a visual way in your head. His references to movies and literature are spot on and show both deft wit and self-effacing humor. All that and he was also in a breakdancing group in the 80s. To quote a chapter heading, “Breakdancing is so big,I can never see it dying out.It’s going to be with us for a long, long time.” This quote is attributed to one wrong, wrong individual. To me that sums up what makes ESC so enjoyable. It is focused, determined, and so sure of itself, yet somewhere, down deep, there’s that little voice inside all of us that knows we just might be wrong. With ESC Brody has proven his decision to leave the world of advertising to chase the dragon of literature was one thing he definitely got right.
For anyone who has held a desk job, seen a Mike Judge film, or been stuck in a situation they felt they could never get out of, this book is a perfect and satisfying bit of real-life-fiction. Funny, touching, and sometimes sad vignettes culled from years of being trapped in the advertising world season this tasty morsel of a book.
The author creates a workspace so real you root for him every step of the way. You identify with the loss of childhood innocence, the ability to just play, and the realization that the adult world isn’t going anywhere. It’s sink or swim, so why not enjoy your time in the water, whichever way you decide to go. Stories of childhood games and humorless co-workers/bosses will have you trying to escape with your faithful narrator. One especially touching and poignant tale of love that almost was, yet most certainly never will be had me laughing and shedding tears.
Author Phil Brody has a way of putting you in his shoes. Even though you know they aren’t your shoes, you can’t escape the connection you feel as his tales unfold. You will feel like you’ve actually spent years trapped in a job you love aspects of but as a whole you know is evil and can only ultimately lead to unhappiness. And of course, the cathartic release of finally freeing yourself from that tragic path only adds to the deep exhale of relief you will take when you finish reading his wonderfully woven words.
I especially love the stories that unfold in the format of a movie, like a screenplay. Brody is quite adept at creating a scene and letting it play out in a visual way in your head. His references to movies and literature are spot on and show both deft wit and self-effacing humor. All that and he was also in a breakdancing group in the 80s. To quote a chapter heading, “Breakdancing is so big,I can never see it dying out.It’s going to be with us for a long, long time.” This quote is attributed to one wrong, wrong individual. To me that sums up what makes ESC so enjoyable. It is focused, determined, and so sure of itself, yet somewhere, down deep, there’s that little voice inside all of us that knows we just might be wrong. With ESC Brody has proven his decision to leave the world of advertising to chase the dragon of literature was one thing he definitely got right.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews