Book review: F*ck Off, Chloe

This smart book is aimed at those working in media PR but it has quirks and lessons that resonate across the world of work. It’s a cheeky memoir from Jeremy Murphy which courts offence and cancel culture in bullet point format.

“Chloe” is an ambitious young millennial who knows everyone, wants everything, and can’t wait to stab you in the back. You need a dictionary to work out her slang, and woe betide you if you don’t have the right opinions or are not “woke”.

With a knowing laugh on every page – the section on expenses for one, and using ‘track changes’ on documents – this is written by a veteran who knows his business but also sees what is underneath the gloss.

F*ck Off, Chloe is both a very amusing entry in the self-help genre and a cautionary piece of satire for a world of narcissistic tendencies and influencers known mainly for their non-opinions and botox fillers.

You’ll learn how to spice up your publicity with bulls**t phrases, how to deal with nightmare clients, and how to survive the scramble to progress in the ranks of your chosen career.

This book focuses on the situation over the pond in the USA, but work and the media are international, with social networks blasting away those visible walls. Everyone is heading in the same direction; everyone is playing the same game.

This author is grouchy, Gen X, and ready to rumble. He’s my kind of guy, and this book is worth a couple of hours of your time. Nothing better than emphasising and agreeing with the pettiness of office life, and the real urge now and then to give your clients a shake.

You will definitely find something which resonates with you (for me it was huge attachments which fill up your email box). It isn’t just in media, either. I promise you most support services will be swapping similar stories.

If you want your own copy of F*ck Off, Chloe by Jeremy Murphy, it is available now in the UK (ISBN 9781510770300) and through the book website and the Skyhorse Publishing website.