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Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do by Studs Terkel
doingallright's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
storytimed's review
5.0
Super super fascinating. Working people in their own words. I liked the spread of pink-collar and blue-collar and white-collar jobs, work of all kinds. And Terkel knew exactly how to draw the most interesting thoughts from his subjects. Just makes you think about how there are no true unskilled jobs, and I really loved the collective meditation on labor and the nature of work, much of which is still relevant today. This book will make you want to unionize your workplace.
judyward's review
4.0
I'm a fan of both Studs Terkel and of oral histories, so this book was a win-win for me. Terkel interviews people from all walks of life about the work that they do and how they feel about their occupations. And the interviews range from the humorous to the truly sad. It's apparent in these short oral histories that Terkel isn't making judgments about certain occupations. Instead, he seems genuinely interested in what people do and how they perceive their jobs. However, the fact that this book was published in the early 1970s is very apparent--because of the political overtones and because of the pro-union sentiments that pervade the histories. Americans, as a rule,don't seem to value work. We value certain occupations and make judgments on people based on their occupations both positively and negatively. This book pulls back the veil on such prejudices and lets people speak for themselves about their field of employment.
bookshelfthrowaway's review
5.0
Fascinating account of the lives of ordinary people. Even though the book was published more than 4 decades ago, their dream and struggles are still highly relatable.
23149014345613's review
4.0
My only issue with this book is that it is becoming out-of-date and you cannot really apply these answers to the present day. But as a study of a time past, it is top-notch.