qteabeans's review against another edition
This was a good read but not what I expected. I appreciated the exploration of jobs that are specifically framed as things we're supposed to live while either being exploited through low pay or so many hours worked. I was hoping for a specific outline of what we should do for our well-being in this broken love/work entangled world. I got some of that by listening to the conclusion chapter. An interesting listen overall.
girlbossed's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
katsherms's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting series of essays that get a bit repetitive. Book feels a bit overlong but does stick to the thesis throughout 3.5 rounded up
nakedsushi's review against another edition
5.0
One of the founders of Goodreads has a saying about the right book in the right hands at the right time. This book came to me at a perfect time in my life.
Sarah Jaffe puts words to how I've felt around work and how we're expected to shape our lives around the idea of a 9-5 job. The first chapter is eye-opening and great setup for the rest of the book, which is broken up into different areas of work. The gist is that the system of work and how people work is broken and needs to be fixed. The nonprofit section really resonated with me and some of my feelings swirling around about it after working in that sector for a few years. She writes:
nonprofits exist to try to mitigate the worst effects of an unequal distribution of wealth and power, yet they are funded with the leftovers of the very exploitation the nonprofits may be trying to combat.
The book is full of knowledge-bombs like that which caused me to look at different things like the Art World, and tech in different ways.
Sometimes when I read books like this, I nod along, going "Ummhmm, yes, these things are all big problems" but end up feeling frustrated at the end because those books don't offer very good solutions. I was concerned I would feel like this after this book, but the last chapter was a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak volume.
Everyone who's ever had a job, and even those who are fortunate enough to never have had a job should read this book. If you can't tell from the title, it's pro-workers, pro-union, and definitely has an agenda, but it's also just a really well thought out and researched book.
Sarah Jaffe puts words to how I've felt around work and how we're expected to shape our lives around the idea of a 9-5 job. The first chapter is eye-opening and great setup for the rest of the book, which is broken up into different areas of work. The gist is that the system of work and how people work is broken and needs to be fixed. The nonprofit section really resonated with me and some of my feelings swirling around about it after working in that sector for a few years. She writes:
nonprofits exist to try to mitigate the worst effects of an unequal distribution of wealth and power, yet they are funded with the leftovers of the very exploitation the nonprofits may be trying to combat.
The book is full of knowledge-bombs like that which caused me to look at different things like the Art World, and tech in different ways.
Sometimes when I read books like this, I nod along, going "Ummhmm, yes, these things are all big problems" but end up feeling frustrated at the end because those books don't offer very good solutions. I was concerned I would feel like this after this book, but the last chapter was a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak volume.
Everyone who's ever had a job, and even those who are fortunate enough to never have had a job should read this book. If you can't tell from the title, it's pro-workers, pro-union, and definitely has an agenda, but it's also just a really well thought out and researched book.
akingston5's review against another edition
5.0
"The compulsion to be happy at work, in other words, is always a demand for emotional work from the worker. Work, after all, has no feelings. Capitalism cannot love."
•••
This was such a hard read for a person who really finds identity in work (and has since the age of 10) but so, so good and needed. Grateful for the ways Jaffe explores how capitalism and neoliberalism function to exploit and manipulate individuals across various fields, and the call to resist and loves ourselves more than work. Cannot recommend enough!
•••
This was such a hard read for a person who really finds identity in work (and has since the age of 10) but so, so good and needed. Grateful for the ways Jaffe explores how capitalism and neoliberalism function to exploit and manipulate individuals across various fields, and the call to resist and loves ourselves more than work. Cannot recommend enough!