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gecoch's review
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.5
This book deftly managed complex interrelated themes around class, labor, gender norms, race and health told through the lens of Pittsburgh. It will change how I think about these issues in the future and I learned a great deal.
the_midwest_library's review
informative
medium-paced
4.25
This is a fascinating review of the simultaneous rise of the healthcare system and the care economy as the steel industry, specifically in Pittsburgh PA occurred. The book provides a compelling review of the decline of steel and the rise of care, touching on social, gender and racial impacts to a variety of groups.
Overall the book is well researched and presented, if I had one critique it's that the first few chapters felt redundant in their presentation of the backdrop of the steel lead landscape of Pittsburgh, I wish there was a bit more depth in the transition from steel to the care economy found in the last few chapters, and would have liked the beginning shaved down a bit to accomplish that. I could see additional works focusing more on the gender roles of this time, and racial implications that carried on after the decline of steel which was setup quite nicely in this book.
Overall really enjoyable.
Overall the book is well researched and presented, if I had one critique it's that the first few chapters felt redundant in their presentation of the backdrop of the steel lead landscape of Pittsburgh, I wish there was a bit more depth in the transition from steel to the care economy found in the last few chapters, and would have liked the beginning shaved down a bit to accomplish that. I could see additional works focusing more on the gender roles of this time, and racial implications that carried on after the decline of steel which was setup quite nicely in this book.
Overall really enjoyable.
litwtchreads's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This book was incredibly informative and I learned a lot about how health care came to be how it is now (especially relevant with the pandemic) and it was really fascinating to see the links in post-war industrialization rise, fall, and eventual pivot to health care. A great read for anyone who wants to learn more about how health care got to the way it is today.
readalongwithnat's review against another edition
4.0
Informative look at unions, especially in factories and health care. Felt super timely!
tylerkissinger's review
5.0
Really phenomenal in the connections it draws - connecting the decline of manufacturing directly to the rise of the healthcare industry, unwaged and domestic care labor to the grinding and torturous conditions faced by the majority of those who work in healthcare, how and why market forces began acting in the industry, the role of the state in driving that market discipline, its costs on human bodies, and so much more.
jaccarmac's review
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
There are just north of 260 pages of main prose here, followed by detailed footnotes I gladly skipped, content with the density of what I just read. Jumping-off points are certainly in order: I'm sure there are books to be read or written after these chapters, especially the one on the racial dynamics of the period studied. Winant is very convincing. The core argument is not particularly difficult, but nothing in The Next Shift seems fluffy. The period in question is treated systematically, with space carved out for individual voices (one thing I grasped for more of as a layman). The marketing copy suggests a more hopeful conclusion than we get, but the question in the last sentence is certainly open, as are the lines of the epilogue to read between.