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spav's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps a little too focused in pre-history than what I would like. But an insightful book nevertheless.
deagaric's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
From a book title that promises an overview of the history of work from 'the Stone Age to the Age of Robots', I really expected a more thorough summary of contemporary events rather than such a heavy focus on tribal perspectives. That being said, I did enjoy learning about how moving further from immediate gratification and from working to meet needs to working to compete with the Joneses shaped the universal work day.
While the more contemporary chapters could benefit from additional fleshing out, I found it fascinating to learn about how Kellogs and Ford set the stage for job expectations. It was also surprising to see that managerial and administrative positions have increased by a four-fold since the 1970s! Overall, I think this book is well-worth a read, even though the first few chapters were a bit dense and dry in my opinion.
While the more contemporary chapters could benefit from additional fleshing out, I found it fascinating to learn about how Kellogs and Ford set the stage for job expectations. It was also surprising to see that managerial and administrative positions have increased by a four-fold since the 1970s! Overall, I think this book is well-worth a read, even though the first few chapters were a bit dense and dry in my opinion.
eachjen's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5. The second half was much better than the first. Very interesting perspectives on automation and the future.
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
James Suzman's Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time didn't really go where I expected. It takes a very long view of work and starts before humans even evolved, down at the level of cells doing "work" and life acting ultimately to increase entropy (even as it appears to create order). He spends a long time discussing the early evolution of humans and human society, discussing hunter-gatherer societies (extrapolating back from currently existing ones to make guesses about earlier ones, which is always dangerous though probably justifiable).
When he eventually got round to farming societies, half the book was already gone, and he dashed madly onward to do industrial societies at a gallop. I felt like half of this book wasn't on topic, and some of his promises weren't kept in terms of what he was going to discuss. Either a lot of the first part needed to be cut, to keep things at a relatively surface-level throughout... or he needed to go just as in-depth on the second half.
There were some interesting titbits here, including contradictions to received wisdom about sexual selection that's intriguing and which I want to look into further, but it just doesn't come together well.
Also, the editing was very shaky in some places. Typos galore! Ouch.
When he eventually got round to farming societies, half the book was already gone, and he dashed madly onward to do industrial societies at a gallop. I felt like half of this book wasn't on topic, and some of his promises weren't kept in terms of what he was going to discuss. Either a lot of the first part needed to be cut, to keep things at a relatively surface-level throughout... or he needed to go just as in-depth on the second half.
There were some interesting titbits here, including contradictions to received wisdom about sexual selection that's intriguing and which I want to look into further, but it just doesn't come together well.
Also, the editing was very shaky in some places. Typos galore! Ouch.
sjyoklic's review against another edition
2.0
This book is really trying to be a "history." It is also trying to be anthropological. It is also trying to be anecdotal. And, it is trying to be a good narrative. However, in trying to be all of these things, the author does not succeed at achieving any of the things he wants to the book to be.
The outcome of all of these forces pulling against each other is a rambling narrative. The organization almost feels like a stream of consciousness where a loosely connected set of ideas is placed together and then wandered through with the fabricated aim of making some vaguely related point. For example one section starts with a conversation about the luddite rebellion, takes a brief derivation to robotic dogs, heads over to slavery, then finishes with a long conversation about animal domestication. Yes, I see the aim here, however this rambling, fails to accomplish any of the goals set out above. It ends up being a loosely connected jumble of vaguely related ideas.
Ultimately I agree with many of the I believe the author
The outcome of all of these forces pulling against each other is a rambling narrative. The organization almost feels like a stream of consciousness where a loosely connected set of ideas is placed together and then wandered through with the fabricated aim of making some vaguely related point. For example one section starts with a conversation about the luddite rebellion, takes a brief derivation to robotic dogs, heads over to slavery, then finishes with a long conversation about animal domestication. Yes, I see the aim here, however this rambling, fails to accomplish any of the goals set out above. It ends up being a loosely connected jumble of vaguely related ideas.
Ultimately I agree with many of the I believe the author
musicdeepdive's review against another edition
3.0
His ideas are interesting, but I'll be damned if I could follow them very well. He's trying to do so much here that the book would need to be really tightly organized to succeed in its ambition, and tight organization is not at all what we have going on here.
smitchy's review against another edition
4.0
Why when we live in a society that has such abundance are we so obsessed with scarcity?
Work by James Suzman poses this question early on and delves deep into our past to answer it. I was not expecting to be taken so far back in time to Neaderthals, Devonians, and other early Hominids to look at the idea of "work" but where or when else would you start?
Work means different things to different people at different times. It shapes our lives, dictates social circles and class barriers. Societies, religions, cultures, and even the climate, have shaped our attitudes to work in ways that are so deeply ingrained we aren't even aware of them until a book like this comes along and makes you wonder how else we might live if we stop and reassess.
If you love books that make you question everything this one is for you!
Work by James Suzman poses this question early on and delves deep into our past to answer it. I was not expecting to be taken so far back in time to Neaderthals, Devonians, and other early Hominids to look at the idea of "work" but where or when else would you start?
Work means different things to different people at different times. It shapes our lives, dictates social circles and class barriers. Societies, religions, cultures, and even the climate, have shaped our attitudes to work in ways that are so deeply ingrained we aren't even aware of them until a book like this comes along and makes you wonder how else we might live if we stop and reassess.
If you love books that make you question everything this one is for you!