Literacy Pledge: For every copy of this book sold in United States, Canada or Europe, we will donate a textbook to a child in need. Find out more about our pledge at www. world-literacy.info. Please also read Author's statement in the "Author's Biography" section.

Behind Amazon's quirky smile logo lurks a cold and calculating giant machine. Author Kalpanik S. reveals his own smile as he tells the somewhat quirky story of his complex, and often hilarious, relationship with Amazon. From the sophisticated wit in his portrayal of the courtship period in "How To Get Hired By Amazon In Ten Days", to the dark humor of the disillusionment period in "The Cold, Calculating Machine", Kalpanik's story is more than just an insider's view of the giant machine known as Amazon.com. It's a modern, universal story of the uneasy relationship between an individual and today's gargantuan corporations. In the end, it is also a story of redemption for creative and freethinking individuals that define America.

Acclaim for the book

... not only does the author makes us feel the vitality of the Hi-Tech worlds of California & Seattle but his very emotional experiences as an immigrant, a father and a dislocated worker.I love his leaps of imagination, and the words which hook us in, make us think this is our story.

For example, here is what it means to yearn for acceptance: "I looked at Seattle's glistening skyline on one side and its beautiful waterfront on the other and asked it the same questions I had asked San Francisco sixteen years ago: will it accept me? Or will its people treat me as someone different, not one of them?"

Overall, a hip, funny and yet very poignant story!

.....John Lehman, author of "Everything is Changing"

This edition of the book was revised in December 2011 to include author's perspective on the 2011 Amazon Warehouse scandal, where a detailed investigative report on worker treatment at a regional warehouse by a local newspaper caught national media attention.

I must confess that English is my third language, and even though this book has been edited by several professional native English editors, it is obvious-even to me- that this book is written by a Foreign-born author.

Foreign-born or not, I believe I have a talent for storytelling, and I have converted a dull topic-the transformation of Amazon from a retail website to a marketplace-into an interesting and lively story.

This is more of a little book than a big one. Being a technologist, I tend to be concise in my writing. The printed version of this edition is about 220 pages. This may be too little for a few readers, too much for others, and hopefully, just right for the some.

So, If you are looking for a 1,000-page treatise on Amazon that can be used as an example of perfect grammar in the High school English grammar class, then this book may not be the right book for you. There are several other books on Amazon which are written in perfect English but are perfectly boring.

A book about Amazon can be pretty dry, so I have tried to add some humor. In my attempt to make this book funny, a few facts may have been stretched. I quote this passage from 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, written by Mike Daisey, a fellow Amazon alumnus-turned author:
"Some facts were injured in the telling of this story. The truth, however, remains unharmed."
That applies to this book as well.

To respect the privacy of the people involved in this story, their names have been changed - with one exception. Trust me, there really is a guy named Jeff Bezos who works at Amazon.

All in all, I am proud of my work, Enjoy!

[Signed] Kalpanik S.
Note: Portions of this book have been previously published under titles "Seattle Adventures", "Artificial Imagination" and "Welcome to the USA".

Dear Prospective Readers,

I am pledging to donate a textbook to a poor child in need in South Asia for every copy of my book sold at this website.

The gift of literacy is a bargain. Few investments open as many economic and social doors, at such a low cost, as the ability to read and write. Moreover, the doors of opportunity that are opened by literacy go both ways - everyone benefits from a literate world.

Imagine a world without Mahatma Ghandi, educated as a lawyer; or Fazlur Rahman Khan born in Bangladesh, designer of the Sears Tower. Southern Asia is the most densely populated region in the world, but its literacy rates are among the lowest. For want of the skill to read and write, the largest human resource in the world goes to waste.

The path to a literate and educated population in Southern Asia is steep and complicated, requiring sophisticated solutions for complex socio-economic problems. But all great journeys begin with small steps. The simple gift of a book can change the life of a child.

I was born and educated in India, and can attribute to my success in the Technology industry in the United States to the education I was fortunate enough to receive in India. Giving away all the profits I receive from your purchase is my way to make a payback to my birth country. Please help me in my dream to help Children.

When you buy a copy of my book today, you take a small step towards literacy in Southern Asia. With each purchase, I will give a textbook to a needy child in Southern Asia.

Kalpanik S. [Digitally signed on Oct. 13, 2011]

About the Author

Kalpanik S. is an immigrant technologist. He came to the USA on a fellowship from the University of California in late eighties to study and do research in Computer Science.

After completing his Graduate studies, Kalpanik worked at both large technology companies and small start-ups in West Coast's High Tech corridor - Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Southern California.

He had been writing a journal about his "journey'" through the US pretty much from the time he landed at the San Francisco Airport more than twenty years ago, and he finally decided to get it published.

Kalpanik (pronounced as Kaalp-Nik) means "imaginary" in Hindi. Author decided to use a pen name to allow him to separate his literary identity from his professional identity.