Rating: 3 stars
Deciding whether to read House of Cards wasn’t a quick decision. On the one hand, it’s a memoir written by a guy who doesn’t invent anything, solve an important life crisis or find a cure for a terminal disease—he was simply a 26-year-old-ex-fundamentalist-virgin who wrote greeting cards for Hallmark.
On the other hand, being a veteran of the publishing industry, a recovering Catholic and having once interviewed for a job at American Greetings, I thought it might be worth a look.
I’d never heard of Dave Dickerson prior to reading the book, so I didn’t really know what to expect. In addition to being impressed by his puzzle prowess, I found Dave to be funny, annoying, smart and freakish with a dash of creepy; ironically, I’ve been described the same way— sans the creepy… I think.
Dave’s behind-the-curtain look at Hallmark was both interesting and strangely comforting. Adeptly illustrating the corporate culture and his tumultuous ride through it, not only sounded incredibly familiar, but served as a stark reminder of how excruciating the corporate environment can be.
Preferring to roam the halls as a tool to get his creativity flowing, Dave learns the hard way that the smiling faces he passes along the way are simply a façade of the whining, backstabbing, jackals known as his co-workers.
Although the corporate gig was relatable, even saving ones self for marriage was understandable, it was the religious zealotry and years of long-distance relationship with an emotionally-rigid fiancée that was a little more difficult to wrap my head around. The militant extremeness of Fundamentalism and the inability to recognize an unhealthy relationship doesn’t seem like the logical path of a right-brain-dominant person with above-average intelligence—no matter how quirky they may be.
Overall, Dave Dickerson’s writing was engaging, when it wasn’t dictionary-inducing—I actually had to look up the word “frottage”. Still, I have to give him credit for pretty much putting it all out there—especially the one-handed stunt he pulled in the office (pun intended).
So, even though he didn’t invent, solve or cure anything, David Ellis Dickerson's House of Cards does manage to entertain.
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Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Trade; Reprint edition (November 2, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1594484865