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Everyone Needs A Lyft: My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver
Everyone Needs a My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver is a collection of thirty short stories that are largely conversations between a Lyft driver (Matthew) and his passengers. The stories are mostly verbatim dialogues presented with minimal commentary added to the end of each story chapter. The setting of this ride-share odyssey is the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area of southeast Michigan. The stories were assembled from rides provided to Lyft passengers from September 27th to October 27th, 2021. Each original story was captured on the day indicated and presented in chronological order. Pseudonyms are used to disguise the Lyft passengers and the dialogues are carefully edited to protect passenger privacy. Each original story has been written by the author. This book is about how people adapted to life and work during the Covid-19 pandemic. It explains how Lyft rideshare works from a driver's perspective. Finally, it is a book about compassion, change, and serendipity, the natural accidents that make our lives extraordinary and compelling.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 7, 2022
6 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Matthew V. Brown
1 book7 followersMatthew V. Brown, Ph. D., is an assistant professor of Management and Organization and adjunct faculty member at the University of Michigan, William Davidson Institute, and Ross School of Business. Dr. Brown has been teaching and researching organizational behavior and executive leadership for the last seventeen years. He teaches multiple upper-level courses in the BBA program, advises Executive MBA teams’ capstone projects, and led the design of the University of the Virgin Islands' first doctoral program in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change (CLIC). He was the lead instructor for the Goldman Sachs 10000 Women Entrepreneurs Program in Kigali, Rwanda (2009-2014]. Before that, he served as a senior consultant at Denison Consulting, specializing in organizational culture assessment and executive leadership development.
Matthew earned a joint doctorate at the University of Michigan in organizational behavior and higher education focusing on complex adaptive systems, retrospective sense-making, and organizational learning. He was part of the early Positive Organizational Scholarship team under mentors: Karl Weick, Jane Dutton, Robert Quinn, and Michael D. Cohen. He is still an active faculty affiliate at the William Davidson Institute (WDI) in Ann Arbor, MI, in executive education. He consults for WDI internationally and volunteers at several entrepreneur centers focusing on mentoring and coaching programs for USAID, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), UM Ross School of Business, and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI.
Matthew earned a joint doctorate at the University of Michigan in organizational behavior and higher education focusing on complex adaptive systems, retrospective sense-making, and organizational learning. He was part of the early Positive Organizational Scholarship team under mentors: Karl Weick, Jane Dutton, Robert Quinn, and Michael D. Cohen. He is still an active faculty affiliate at the William Davidson Institute (WDI) in Ann Arbor, MI, in executive education. He consults for WDI internationally and volunteers at several entrepreneur centers focusing on mentoring and coaching programs for USAID, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), UM Ross School of Business, and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 3, 2023
A Captivating Collection of Short Stories
As a fan of memoirs, I was immediately drawn to "Everyone Needs A Lyft: My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver". And I must say, the book exceeded my expectations. The short stories presented in this book are not only authentic and engaging but also thought-provoking and inspiring.
I loved the simple writing style and the verbatim dialogues used to present the stories. The author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions of each passenger, which made the conversations between him and his riders feel real and authentic.
One of my favorite things about this book is the unique perspective it offers on the human experience. The stories demonstrate how conversations between a Lyft driver and passengers can lead to profound moments of empathy and leadership, even in the midst of a pandemic.
The stories are diverse, with unexpected twists and turns that left me engrossed in one story after another. The author's use of humor and serendipity added a unique touch to the book, making it a fast-paced and engaging read.
Overall, "Everyone Needs A Lyft: My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver" is an interesting and insightful book that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in memoirs or human connections. It is a testament to resilience and variety as everyday people face new challenges with compassion, insight, and innovative ideas.
As a fan of memoirs, I was immediately drawn to "Everyone Needs A Lyft: My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver". And I must say, the book exceeded my expectations. The short stories presented in this book are not only authentic and engaging but also thought-provoking and inspiring.
I loved the simple writing style and the verbatim dialogues used to present the stories. The author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions of each passenger, which made the conversations between him and his riders feel real and authentic.
One of my favorite things about this book is the unique perspective it offers on the human experience. The stories demonstrate how conversations between a Lyft driver and passengers can lead to profound moments of empathy and leadership, even in the midst of a pandemic.
The stories are diverse, with unexpected twists and turns that left me engrossed in one story after another. The author's use of humor and serendipity added a unique touch to the book, making it a fast-paced and engaging read.
Overall, "Everyone Needs A Lyft: My Thirty-Day Odyssey as a Lyft Driver" is an interesting and insightful book that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in memoirs or human connections. It is a testament to resilience and variety as everyday people face new challenges with compassion, insight, and innovative ideas.
October 21, 2022
Excellent real life stories shared by an author who experienced a new job. Easy reading and an excellent book to carry when you are traveling and waiting in an airport or waiting room. A good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2023
This book is a compendium of conversations, but it also serves the spiritual function that the story of Job in the Bible serves. A very brilliant man with a PhD found himself Lyft driving because the world decided to humble him over and over again, so this man—Dr. Brown— uses his academic acumen and empathy to relate to the people whom he is driving.
The book recounts conversations he’s had and people he’s met. One important story is when he picked up a man who had been in prison the past 15 years and the man said that prison during quarantine was like Dante’s Inferno, and they talked about it and the book, switching between literary and real references. As the man was getting out of the car, he told Dr. Brown, “thanks for not asking what I had done to go to prison.”
I took a lot of encouragement from reading this book because Dr. Brown’s recognition of the people he has met testifies “I am going to respect others and build meaningful connections and teach people about books regardless of the injustice of the world.”
The book recounts conversations he’s had and people he’s met. One important story is when he picked up a man who had been in prison the past 15 years and the man said that prison during quarantine was like Dante’s Inferno, and they talked about it and the book, switching between literary and real references. As the man was getting out of the car, he told Dr. Brown, “thanks for not asking what I had done to go to prison.”
I took a lot of encouragement from reading this book because Dr. Brown’s recognition of the people he has met testifies “I am going to respect others and build meaningful connections and teach people about books regardless of the injustice of the world.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2023
Interesting concept but could skip the moralising
This is an interesting concept and a fairly well written book. However, I was personally a bit put off by the amount of ‘tell’ and not ‘show’. I don’t need a forward telling me what a quality great read it is, followed by an introduction by the author stating the same. Better to get on with the compelling stories and hopefully intriguing glimpses into many lives!
I also could have done without the moralising at the end of each story as I prefer to draw my own conclusions.
There are some insights into the disruptive impact of the covid pandemic, but nothing too earth shattering here (online businesses got a boost!..managing fast food outlets is like being in one of Dante’s circles of hell!…).
The author seemed a little over invested in being the hero in the story. This collection would have been a lot stronger if the author had stepped back and let the story tell itself.
This is an interesting concept and a fairly well written book. However, I was personally a bit put off by the amount of ‘tell’ and not ‘show’. I don’t need a forward telling me what a quality great read it is, followed by an introduction by the author stating the same. Better to get on with the compelling stories and hopefully intriguing glimpses into many lives!
I also could have done without the moralising at the end of each story as I prefer to draw my own conclusions.
There are some insights into the disruptive impact of the covid pandemic, but nothing too earth shattering here (online businesses got a boost!..managing fast food outlets is like being in one of Dante’s circles of hell!…).
The author seemed a little over invested in being the hero in the story. This collection would have been a lot stronger if the author had stepped back and let the story tell itself.
March 12, 2023
Fascinating
I didn't quite know what to expect with this book.
I was unfamiliar with the concept of a lyft driver (we don't have them in Australia)
A collection of conversations with people as varied as the stars.
Some stories left me feeling sad and heavy- that the travelers were going through such hardship.
Others made me grin as they found love, which was a delight.
Whatever you feel about it, applaud the unique idea of collecting these stories-as each human has a story and no single story is more or less valuable than another.
I didn't quite know what to expect with this book.
I was unfamiliar with the concept of a lyft driver (we don't have them in Australia)
A collection of conversations with people as varied as the stars.
Some stories left me feeling sad and heavy- that the travelers were going through such hardship.
Others made me grin as they found love, which was a delight.
Whatever you feel about it, applaud the unique idea of collecting these stories-as each human has a story and no single story is more or less valuable than another.
April 2, 2023
A fab slice of life!
I loved this little book. Collections can be hit or miss but I love a slice of life sort of story so I bit.
I enjoyed the care the author took in weaving together a diverse set of stories. It wasn't like participant observation, either. Fellow PhD here. Writing in my field can be super dry. This was not.
I enjoyed the book. The only suggestions for improvement I have would be a better cover and maybe some changes to the typesetting. However, the content of the book is really enjoyable and, at times, touching.
I loved this little book. Collections can be hit or miss but I love a slice of life sort of story so I bit.
I enjoyed the care the author took in weaving together a diverse set of stories. It wasn't like participant observation, either. Fellow PhD here. Writing in my field can be super dry. This was not.
I enjoyed the book. The only suggestions for improvement I have would be a better cover and maybe some changes to the typesetting. However, the content of the book is really enjoyable and, at times, touching.
February 3, 2023
An excellent example of "there's a book in every body".
The objective is to do the hard work and make the book entertaining, educational, and a good read. That takes perseverance and an excellent history of listening and relating stories that people have entrusted to you. Matthew V. Brown has mastered those important things in his writing and educational skills. It's a pleasure to read and I recommend the book highly. KDBrown
The objective is to do the hard work and make the book entertaining, educational, and a good read. That takes perseverance and an excellent history of listening and relating stories that people have entrusted to you. Matthew V. Brown has mastered those important things in his writing and educational skills. It's a pleasure to read and I recommend the book highly. KDBrown
March 4, 2023
Fascinating Storytelling
I couldn’t stop reading the book from the moment I started. The saying, “To every person is a story,” was clearly depicted in this book. One thing resonated with me is the idea that humanity is filled with challenges and we all have our own struggles. Although it may be difficult to understand each other, we can all at least be kind to one another. Great book!
I couldn’t stop reading the book from the moment I started. The saying, “To every person is a story,” was clearly depicted in this book. One thing resonated with me is the idea that humanity is filled with challenges and we all have our own struggles. Although it may be difficult to understand each other, we can all at least be kind to one another. Great book!
June 25, 2023
interesting, thought provoking in unexpected ways.
The pandemic changed our world, and caused Many to experience life in ways radically different from how we planned our path in the universe. These stories, gathered from Lyft passengers by Dr. Brown working as a driver during his unplanned break from academia were sometimes inspiring, sometimes depressing, and always thought provoking. The book is well written and worth your time.
The pandemic changed our world, and caused Many to experience life in ways radically different from how we planned our path in the universe. These stories, gathered from Lyft passengers by Dr. Brown working as a driver during his unplanned break from academia were sometimes inspiring, sometimes depressing, and always thought provoking. The book is well written and worth your time.
August 14, 2023
An Interesting and Engaging Collection
More than just a collection of interview-style short stories with the passengers from his Lyft, this book also includes musings and meditations on each of the stories by the author. Many of the stories were interesting and compelling, as were the bulk of the commentary bits. There were times when I would have preferred to puzzle out my own meanings to a tale, but for the most part, this worked pretty well.
More than just a collection of interview-style short stories with the passengers from his Lyft, this book also includes musings and meditations on each of the stories by the author. Many of the stories were interesting and compelling, as were the bulk of the commentary bits. There were times when I would have preferred to puzzle out my own meanings to a tale, but for the most part, this worked pretty well.
July 18, 2023
Fly on the Wall
What I found most interesting about this book is the original premise. Professor becomes Lyft driver to get out of the house and collect stories from passengers. Some of the stories were pretty wild. I like how the author tied his own experience of organizational behavior and analysis of what US was like for working people during the pandemic.
What I found most interesting about this book is the original premise. Professor becomes Lyft driver to get out of the house and collect stories from passengers. Some of the stories were pretty wild. I like how the author tied his own experience of organizational behavior and analysis of what US was like for working people during the pandemic.
April 17, 2023
Nice collection of stories
The author is a professor who want to take a new adventure in COVID 19 time. He decided to become a Lyft driver for 30 days and selected 30 stories with his passengers. Some stories are fascinating. others are just normal drive conversations.
The author is a professor who want to take a new adventure in COVID 19 time. He decided to become a Lyft driver for 30 days and selected 30 stories with his passengers. Some stories are fascinating. others are just normal drive conversations.
March 28, 2023
Enjoyable Read
This is a delightful book filled the authors stories from driving Lyft. I've never thought about the driver's experience. Very cool, you will enjoy the ride (read)!
This is a delightful book filled the authors stories from driving Lyft. I've never thought about the driver's experience. Very cool, you will enjoy the ride (read)!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews