Don't let the two stars fool you: this book is funny, at times even laugh-out-loud funny. If you are an academic, or someone who has had to deal with the absurd rituals of recommendation letters (on either side of the equation), you'll almost definitely laugh. I cannot speak from experience, but I suspect if you are an academic in an American institution, you'll laugh even harder. If you are an academic at a Literature/English department in an American institution, you'll probably cry a little too. In spite of all the laughter, the story is a little too thin to carry the book: after the 25th letter, one gets the gist. I also grew to dislike Prof. Fitger so much, that I became unable to appreciate his sarcasm.