Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do | 
 enlarge | Author: Studs Terkel
Publisher: New Press
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $4.91
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Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 13755
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.8
ISBN: 1565843428
Dewey Decimal Number: 331.20973
EAN: 9781565843424
ASIN: 1565843428
Publication Date: February 28, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Standard shipping arrives within 6-8 business days. This is the textbook only unless otherwise noted.
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Book Description
Studs Terkel records the voices of America. Men and women from every walk of life talk to him, telling him of their likes and dislikes, fears, problems, and happinesses on the job. Once again, Terkel has created a rich and unique document that is as simple as conversation, but as subtle and heartfelt as the meaning of our lives.... In the first trade paperback edition of his national bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel presents "the real American experience" (Chicago Daily News)--"a magnificent book . . .. A work of art. To read it is to hear America talking." (Boston Globe).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 This book changed my life May 27, 2008
I read Working in 1986, when I was 23, and chose my profession based on one of the interviews (I'm a piano tuner/repairman). I am so grateful to Mr. Terkel and his subjects; without them I may have floundered in life, but because of their inspiration, I found work which I have enjoyed and learned from for more than two decades.
 A time capsule of American labor and culture May 17, 2008
This culturally significant novel is a must for anyone interested in American studies, labor issues, oral history, etc.. The author, Studs Turkel is a prominent Chicago figure that has interview 9,000+ people about their jobs. This is well worth the read. Turkel interviews a variety of interesting people ranging from actors, flight attendants, CEO's, and even a call girl.
Life-altering perspectives April 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book changed my life. I read it when it was new, at a time when I was becoming incredibly discontent in my first real career position job. What struck me about the people in this book was that almost all of them are busy doing work they don't really care for, and which many of them downright hate. They feel trapped and are unhappy, but they stick at it because they have bills to pay. The people who in contrast were doing work that they *loved* had a magical time of it. They were also few and far between. After I read this I questioned why people choose to make themselves unhappy at work they hate, when they could (as we say these days but didn't, then) "follow their bliss" and find what gives them joy. I have never looked at work the same way since, and the insights I gained from this book gave me the courage to leave a bad situation in order to find a better path to fulfillment. This is an amazing work of oral history, and the love work/hate work issue is just as relevant today.
 Book was STOLEN from Chicago Public Library January 17, 2007
1 out of 46 found this review helpful
The book was in great condition, with one MAJOR catch: it had a Chicago Public Library bar code on it. I called the library, read them the bar code, and they asked me to please return it, as it had been taken without their permission. Amazon kindly sent me another book, and the stolen edition goes back to the library!
how people see their job tells a lot about them January 13, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
What's engaging about this is the stories. Studs is known for his work getting people to tell their stories. This is one of his contributions to the cultural history of America, told first person, in a way that is timeless and just as relevant today as when it was written. One way to sum it up might be to say this is about what people learned from their work, and about themselves and others in the process. The subject might sound boring, but it's alive and seething with emotions.
On the face of it this is a dated survey of Americans and how they feel about their jobs. While there's some nostalgia in here in the attitudes and jobs of eras past it's also a fun read and one that I would recommend to teens, college students and anyone interested in perspectives about work and how we see ourselves and others.
We all know that most people hate their jobs. Work is seen as something we have to do, and few of us seem to find a job that we like or enjoy. How we feel about work, and what we do for a living, in many ways defines who we are. Seeing people share their their perspectives on this helps us see ourselves in a different light, and taken as a whole this book helps us see a perspective of America's history.
One thing I found interesting in this was the work ethic people found even in jobs they hated. Work ethics seem to be less clearly defined today in a world where ethics have gone astray, and where people tend to care less about what they do and how they do it. Seeing the pride a man took in his work, even if he hated it, tells us something about the character of a person. It's also interesting to see how people who had jobs you would assume they would have hated were content in their roles and saw what they did as a service even when others might look down on them.
The construction worker who wants to make sure his son doesn't have to do what he does was one I enjoyed and remember. An airline stewardess in an era dominated by of bigoted males... the stories this books tells are about relationships and attitudes, and in a way it's still very vital and contemporary.
It's about relationships with work, family, with other people, and with ourselves and or past and future. You'll probably see yourself and people you know in the attitudes within this book. In that way it's timeless, candid and informative, and touching.
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