smuds2's review
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
There are a few things Graeber does better than anyone else I have read (although, I am not that well read in cultural anthopology books...)
(1) Introduce a topic that is felt in the gut (in this case, bullshit jobs, in debt, that money isn't exactly what we have been led to be); expand on it to give the reader a nomeclature, such that they can, if nothing else, have a better internal dialogue with themselves on the topic; and finally, go absolutely H.A.M on the historical references, theory, and context to build up his case for the dis-believers.
(2) leave me with a sense of righteous anger and hope for a better future. Anger that all of us were robbed blind of the beautiful present we could have had, while not losing sight of the fact that we can make an impact on a better future starting now.
I would say this is my third favorite Graeber book behind The Dawn of Everything and Debt. There are a few arguments that, while I'm not unconvinced of, seem a bit off (his reference to the moralist argument for paying everyone the same amount for example). None of them were foundational, I don't think, and they weren't egregious or anything - it was more like "I don't think I can bring this book to my dad as an explanation of all of this stuff without imagining him putting the book down when he reads part xyz".
Still, on the whole, something that I think everyone should read as they enter the workforce (at least - the first four or so chapters.)
(1) Introduce a topic that is felt in the gut (in this case, bullshit jobs, in debt, that money isn't exactly what we have been led to be); expand on it to give the reader a nomeclature, such that they can, if nothing else, have a better internal dialogue with themselves on the topic; and finally, go absolutely H.A.M on the historical references, theory, and context to build up his case for the dis-believers.
(2) leave me with a sense of righteous anger and hope for a better future. Anger that all of us were robbed blind of the beautiful present we could have had, while not losing sight of the fact that we can make an impact on a better future starting now.
I would say this is my third favorite Graeber book behind The Dawn of Everything and Debt. There are a few arguments that, while I'm not unconvinced of, seem a bit off (his reference to the moralist argument for paying everyone the same amount for example). None of them were foundational, I don't think, and they weren't egregious or anything - it was more like "I don't think I can bring this book to my dad as an explanation of all of this stuff without imagining him putting the book down when he reads part xyz".
Still, on the whole, something that I think everyone should read as they enter the workforce (at least - the first four or so chapters.)
breyramirez's review against another edition
Boring, predictable, didn't really make a point.
mtag's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
megabyte117's review against another edition
4.0
A sobering and honest dive into those jobs everyone knows are “bullshit” but remain within companies. Perhaps a little overlong by the end, though the pacing is mostly quite sharp and moved very well between key points.
alibi313's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Probably better as the original editorial. Padded out to book-length, it often dragged.
ethancramer's review against another edition
4.0
Quick thoughts:
Graeber's comparison of medieval feudalism and the modern managerial class is incredibly thought provoking
The proliferation of "bullshit jobs" (by Graeber's definition: jobs in which even the people doing them think they're useless) in basically every sector of the economy is both hard to explain and hard to live with
Our current political system is not a unified thing imposed on us, but a complex system we all choose to participate in each day -- and yet it's not easy to change, because people have an investment stability (for the sake of their loved ones, their mental health, or other)
One misstep here is that Graeber will occasionally guess at a fact (that 40% of workers in the developed work have bullshit jobs) and then later reintroduce that piece of information as an established fact
Graeber's comparison of medieval feudalism and the modern managerial class is incredibly thought provoking
The proliferation of "bullshit jobs" (by Graeber's definition: jobs in which even the people doing them think they're useless) in basically every sector of the economy is both hard to explain and hard to live with
Our current political system is not a unified thing imposed on us, but a complex system we all choose to participate in each day -- and yet it's not easy to change, because people have an investment stability (for the sake of their loved ones, their mental health, or other)
One misstep here is that Graeber will occasionally guess at a fact (that 40% of workers in the developed work have bullshit jobs) and then later reintroduce that piece of information as an established fact