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riakul's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars.
I randomly picked this book up after reading the subtitle of this book.
I believed taking credit for your work and relentless self promotion was like way to grow in any career, there is no other way. I mean all those successful ones are famous, right?
I thought of giving this book a chance and seeing what the author had to say to believe otherwise.
During the course of this book, you deep dive into the lives of many different people having very very different careers. From a person in wayfinding (they design airport and other buildings for easy navigation), structural engineer, a piano tuner, a nose (they come with perfume formulations for various brands and celebraties) to a manager of a rock band you get to a behind the scenes pass to their lives.
By the means of these various stories, the author tries to convince us that being famous or renowned is not a sure sign of being successful. Moreover being "successful" and famous will not necessarily imply happiness.
Eveey person we meet is not only good at their job i.e successful they are happy as well. Because their happiness doesn't stem from recognition and praises but from the work they do. They have perfected their skills and are just happy using it and improving it.
If you are someone who would like to read about a few random careers or are looking to make a little more sense of why are you doing whatever you are doing, or simply just wondering what your work adds up to, pick this up.
It's a nice casual read.
I randomly picked this book up after reading the subtitle of this book.
I believed taking credit for your work and relentless self promotion was like way to grow in any career, there is no other way. I mean all those successful ones are famous, right?
I thought of giving this book a chance and seeing what the author had to say to believe otherwise.
During the course of this book, you deep dive into the lives of many different people having very very different careers. From a person in wayfinding (they design airport and other buildings for easy navigation), structural engineer, a piano tuner, a nose (they come with perfume formulations for various brands and celebraties) to a manager of a rock band you get to a behind the scenes pass to their lives.
By the means of these various stories, the author tries to convince us that being famous or renowned is not a sure sign of being successful. Moreover being "successful" and famous will not necessarily imply happiness.
Eveey person we meet is not only good at their job i.e successful they are happy as well. Because their happiness doesn't stem from recognition and praises but from the work they do. They have perfected their skills and are just happy using it and improving it.
If you are someone who would like to read about a few random careers or are looking to make a little more sense of why are you doing whatever you are doing, or simply just wondering what your work adds up to, pick this up.
It's a nice casual read.
kejadlen's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed the individual stories, but the book was a bit too preachy about "invisibles" for me in general.
carriekellenberger's review
3.0
Behind every huge success is a team of invisible people who help make it a success. These people are fine working outside of the limelight, but there is no denying that without them around, most things wouldn't move forward without their expertise. In this book, David Zweig provides many fine examples of Invisibles, people who receive little to no credit for the work that they do despite their skill, expertise, and knowledge to their craft.
Zweig covers a range of Invisibles such as a lead engineer on some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, an interpreter for the UN, a wayfinder expert who ensures travelers know where they're going in airports around the world, Radiohead's guitar technician, and many more examples. He meets each expert and details the meticulous work that they do to ensure they are meeting demands and exception.
By Chapter 6, I felt this book was getting repetitive. I thought the follow-up to the rock band guitar technician's story with a concert piano tuner was a bit too similar to the previous chapter and after that it all sounded familiar. That's why I've marked it down to three stars. I still enjoyed this book though and recommend it if you are a fan of Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.
I loved the comparisons the author draws between highly individualistic societies like the United States and their tendency to seek praise, recognition, and glory and Asian societies which are collectivist cultures that have individuals embedded within their group identity.
“As I researched an article for The Atlantic that served as a launch point for this book, speaking to many people, characteristics of Invisibles began to crystallize. Fascinatingly, I found they all consistently embody Three Traits: 1) Ambivalence toward recognition 2) Meticulousness 3) Savoring of responsibility”― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
“Nearly everyone I know under forty (including myself) it now seems is some combination of amateur photographer, DJ, filmmaker, writer, and craft maker of some sort. Much of what’s produced is good, but few devote the necessary time to make something truly great.”
― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
“there is the growing notion that we, as individuals, are actually brands to promote.”
― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
Zweig covers a range of Invisibles such as a lead engineer on some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, an interpreter for the UN, a wayfinder expert who ensures travelers know where they're going in airports around the world, Radiohead's guitar technician, and many more examples. He meets each expert and details the meticulous work that they do to ensure they are meeting demands and exception.
By Chapter 6, I felt this book was getting repetitive. I thought the follow-up to the rock band guitar technician's story with a concert piano tuner was a bit too similar to the previous chapter and after that it all sounded familiar. That's why I've marked it down to three stars. I still enjoyed this book though and recommend it if you are a fan of Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.
I loved the comparisons the author draws between highly individualistic societies like the United States and their tendency to seek praise, recognition, and glory and Asian societies which are collectivist cultures that have individuals embedded within their group identity.
“As I researched an article for The Atlantic that served as a launch point for this book, speaking to many people, characteristics of Invisibles began to crystallize. Fascinatingly, I found they all consistently embody Three Traits: 1) Ambivalence toward recognition 2) Meticulousness 3) Savoring of responsibility”― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
“Nearly everyone I know under forty (including myself) it now seems is some combination of amateur photographer, DJ, filmmaker, writer, and craft maker of some sort. Much of what’s produced is good, but few devote the necessary time to make something truly great.”
― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
“there is the growing notion that we, as individuals, are actually brands to promote.”
― David Zweig, Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-Promotion
bernawerna's review against another edition
4.0
Trying to up my non-fiction game. Fascinating and very accessible read about behind the scenes individuals whose roles are incredibly important yet hardly recognized (e.g. structural engineers for super tall buildings, UN interpreters, etc). Additional commentary on current "self-branding" culture and Western individualistic norms. Zweig fans out hard on Radiohead, which I found a little distracting though understandable. BE CURIOUS.
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