Buzz Ride: Driven to Disruption: Memoirs of an Uber Driver - Softcover

P.M. White

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1893121666 ISBN 13: 9781893121669

Publisher: Lake Claremont Press: A Chicago Joint, 2017

Synopsis

A Darkly Comedic Coming of (Middle) Age Adventure

Why would a financially-comfortable fifty-something father of two--with a Mercedes--drive Uber late at night on the toughest streets of Chicago? Pat White (pseudonym), a financial advisor and business strategist, decided to go undercover to research how the disruptive technology of ridesharing affects commerce. Soon his business study warped into a study of humanity . . . and himself.

This reserved Baby Boomer first had to face his fear of picking up strangers in his own car and driving them to unknown locations. Most were over-privileged, over-served Millennials en route to their next adrenaline rush or wherever they were crashing for the night. Some treated him like he was invisible--making out, arguing, discussing sex and drugs, and lying to lovers on the phone about their whereabouts as if no one else were in the car. Others wished him to partake in their partying or craved his counsel on the most intimate details of their lives. Still others were just looking to pick a fight. Rarer were the tired and the timid: those returning to family after working long hours with hopes of a brighter tomorrow, those fleeing abuse, and those just fleeing a thunderstorm.

This summer experiment took White down roads he never imagined he would travel. Soon he found himself embracing danger, longing for the thrill of voyeuristic glimpses into private lives made public, and facing the depths of his shadow personality.

Come along for the bumpy ride as this sharp-tongued observer shares the always wild, sometimes dark, often humorous, and surprisingly touching side of Chicago nightlife in the smart-phone generation.

Hop into the Back of Patrick's Silver Benz and Buckle Up!

About this title

About the Author

Intense, can't-shake-it curiosity led Pat White (a pseudonym) to drive for Uber after researching his growing interest in ride-sharing and other disruptive and new economy businesses for a possible Harvard Business Review article. Pa's articles on technology and strategic communication have been published in professional business journals.

Pat began working in 1979 for the Chicago Board Options Exchange before becoming a retail stockbroker for some of Wall Street's largest firms. In 1996, he received an MBA in management. He went on to work for the business college he graduated from, focusing first on executive education and then serving as director of the university s for-profit media company, where he showed his skill at rescuing ailing organizations.

The lifelong Chicagoan was president of a technology company owned by a founder of a prestigious leverage buyout/private equity firm on Wall Street before returning to Chicago after an eleven-year hiatus in Indiana. He has managed money for Hollywood celebrities and advised some of Chicago's most influential families and businesses in the areas of turn-around management and strategic business growth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lake Claremont Press: A Chicago Joint
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1893121666
• ISBN 13: 9781893121669
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 145