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.
