Medallion Status

Medallion Status by John Hodgman (2019) I might have not even picked this one up had I really thought about the title or known that it refers specifically to frequent flyer programs on some airline—as there’s almost nothing that interests me less—but having really liked Hodgman’s Vacationland book, I thought I’d check it out. It kinda presents itself as a sequel—with a similar title format. The full title is: Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms—that’s got to sell books—especially the “secret rooms” part—to me, I’ll buy almost any book with that in the title. Interestingly, during one of the chapters, he talks about how easy Vacationland was to write vs. how hard this one was to write—for various reasons, of course—but that’s the kind of thing I like. Even though the first couple of chapters didn’t interest me that much, just his whole writing style and how in depth he goes—and takes each episode to beyond its logical conclusion to somewhere entirely else—I like that a lot! He’s funny, of course, but can be serious at the same time, and even sad, and tragic at times—but in the end, always uplifting, and healthy (in that laughing is healthy). And besides the airlines obsession, he also delves into (in depth!) a lot of stuff. There is a lot here, and really, I enjoyed it all, just some chapters more than others based, of course, on my own experiences. I liked his stuff about the town in Maine where he lives, and I don’t even live in Maine, nor in a small town, but I find all that fascinating. Another one I especially liked was his observations about auditioning for acting parts. And then, one of my favorite bits was about his being freaked out when thinking about the abandoned underwater animatronic elements of the Disney World 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride. I think it was at Disney World, in Florida—well, that’s where I visited as a 12-year-old—and at that time, the 20,000 Leagues ride was broken down, so I never got to go on that one, and I always regretted it—that submarine was awesome, and I loved the movie. Maybe they were fixing the underwater robot fish, I don’t know, and maybe they would have similarly freaked me out—maybe I just dodged a trauma bullet there.

11.14.24