This was my first Dave Eggers book, and while I've heard quite a bit (good and bad) about him as a person, there's only one way to know him as a writer: to read him. He's great. There's not much to say about his writing other than it does exactly what it should: tells a story without being distracting.

And this was everything I could have asked for in a story and more. The events that shape Mokhtar's life are so otherworldly, that it reads like fiction and kept me very entertained. I couldn't put this book down. But it is so obviously nonfiction as well, and I learned a great amount about coffee and its relationship with the world. I also learned a lot about San Francisco and the Tenderloin, the neighborhood where Mokhtar grew up—the roughest in the city.

The end of this book gave me chills; I almost teared up. I believe every good book—or movie—should have that capacity. The descriptions should be so detailed that the reader or viewer can't help but feel empathetic. Everyone can learn a thing or two from this book: that one should never give up, that's it's never too late to try your hand at your passion, and that coffee isn't what you think it is.