Unpolished but perceptive ... Sometimes overwritten ... [Grant] offers hardly any salient history at all. What’s more, he seems unaware of so much culture and lore that have grown up around the institution ... Mailman never reaches Barbara Ehrenreich levels of political and moral feistiness. But Grant’s book has a rough authority. A working-class hero is something to be.
Grant’s book is an entertaining and illuminating read. He tells vivid stories ... But it takes a long time to get to the excitement. Much of the first half of Mailman is taken up with necessary background, though possibly not necessary at such length ... The vulgar language is distracting, and it’s a true pity, because Grant is a great storyteller and a wonderful writer — lyrical, descriptive and honest.
Mailman provides a well-balanced blend of style ... [Has] a healthy dose of anecdote ... Sometimes, Grant’s route is more circuitous than it should be. But readers who are able to overlook the meandering narrative with its onslaught of acronyms and occasionally jumbled details will thrill to tag along as Grant pulls back the curtain on the U.S. Postal Service.
Infused with Grant’s gift for finding humor and humanity, highlighting the naturally charismatic cast of postal workers and customers that made the job so transformational. A coming-of-age (at middle age) story and a firm commendation for all of the mail carriers, clerks, and inspectors who make the USPS such a venerable and efficient organization, Mailman more than delivers.
With good humor and plainspoken prose, Grant illustrates how the work helped him feel useful to a town he’d left behind and reignited his sense of vitality. This has charm to spare.