Review: Parking Wars!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 17, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.Unable to find a job in law enforcement, Ben Friedrich signed on to be a parking officer- to issue tickets for parking citations.  As one might infer from the book title, he was completely miserable, and this is his insiders look at parking enforcement.There are lots of insider expose books that examine the dirty secrets behind the service industries, from Disney, to hotels, to restaurants.  When done well, these sorts of memoirs tend to be hilarious.  It takes a very specific tone to write one of those memoirs well, and unfortunately, that's what this book is lacking.  The tone is just not right.  It ranges from whiny to a self-satisfied sense of superiority.  Friedrich whines frequently about not being able to get a job in the police or fire departments, not having a girlfriend, and not liking his job.  Really, only the last one is germane to what this book is trying to accomplish.  Too much of the beginning is spent talking about Friedrich's failed efforts to become a firefighter.  What bothered me more, though, was the tone that exudes throughout the book that the author is too good for parking enforcement.  It is beneath him.  Again, there's a way to carry off a humorous memoir without sounding like one thinks one is inherently better than anyone who would actually spend their career as a parking officer.In sum, I think there's some good material here, but the writing needs work and polish.