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42nd out of 270 books
—
280 voters
A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember
by
Iain Levison
All Iain Levison really wants is a steady paycheck, cable television, and the possibility of a date on Saturday night. But after blowing $40,000 on an English degree, he can’t find the first, can’t afford the second, and can’t even imagine what woman would consent to the third. So he embarks on a time-honored American tradition: scoring a few dead-end jobs until something...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
April 8th 2003
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published April 1st 2002)
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Oct 16, 2007
Needleroozer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who thinks they have/had the worst job in the world
I laughed until I cried reading this book. It is excellent, excellent, excellent.
The author chronicles many of the shit jobs he's had since graduating from college. That's right, he graduated from college, and he's still reduces to working shit jobs. Any of us could find ourselves in his situation.
I am now more than ever grateful for my lovely library job.
The author chronicles many of the shit jobs he's had since graduating from college. That's right, he graduated from college, and he's still reduces to working shit jobs. Any of us could find ourselves in his situation.
I am now more than ever grateful for my lovely library job.
It's interesting reading this book now, when the job market sucks so hard. Published in 2002, A Working Stiff's Manifesto describes a period when jobs were plentiful but generally crappy--low wages, no health insurance, benefits that kick in only after the average employee is projected to quit. The only, sad difference between now and then is, now you're considered lucky if you have one of those jobs, because if you don't you're probably unemployed.
One thing I caught myself doing frequently whil...more
One thing I caught myself doing frequently whil...more
I grabbed this book as it was on the same shelf as Nickel and Dimed at the library and I am glad I did as it was/is the author's reality rather than Barbara Ehrenreich's brief experiment. I liked Nickel and Dimed, but A Working Stiff's Manifesto's voice had humor about the paths the author has taken in his life and wasn't created by someone looking down on the working poor and briefly inserting them self into that reality. The obvious demographic differences of the authors means that I understan...more
This was a light read about a dude sort of in my situation. He worked his way through college to get an English degree and a load of debt and when he was done he had trouble finding a job that utilized his skills. So he bounced around America working a variety of strange jobs. The book is kind of like that show "Dirty Jobs" on paper — he ends up doing various crab fishing jobs in Alaska (one of the jobs, sitting in a room and getting fish dropped on him and having to push them through a hole ont...more
This is about work and literally nothing else. He mentions friends, he mentions "I took a girl on a date", so you know there's other stuff happening in his life, but it isn't addressed in this book. This is all about the jobs.
At first I was kind of disgusted, he whines that he just can't get anywhere, and that people who have good, high-paying jobs are lucky and nothing else. He won't take a better-paying management job because it involves overtime, he steals from the places he works at. Come o...more
At first I was kind of disgusted, he whines that he just can't get anywhere, and that people who have good, high-paying jobs are lucky and nothing else. He won't take a better-paying management job because it involves overtime, he steals from the places he works at. Come o...more
A co-worker of mine once described a movie he had seen as "alternately hilarious and horrifying." I find that to be an apt description for this book as well.
Iain Levinson tells a series of mildly disconnected stories about a sequence of dead-end jobs he held somewhere during the late 90's or early 00's. Levinson had an English degree but found that he could not get a single worthwhile job, despite his liberal arts education, a fact which causes him to subsequently treat his education with a fair...more
Iain Levinson tells a series of mildly disconnected stories about a sequence of dead-end jobs he held somewhere during the late 90's or early 00's. Levinson had an English degree but found that he could not get a single worthwhile job, despite his liberal arts education, a fact which causes him to subsequently treat his education with a fair...more
I will admit that Levison comes across pretty bitter sometimes. However, as the holder of a useless Master's degree that can't seem to find a job that pays more than $13 an hour, I kind of get where his bitterness is coming from. Have my own decisions led me to this position in life? Yes. On the other hand, there was a time when just having a Master's degree would have opened a world of possibility for me. Those days are long gone, but I didn't know that until it was too late. It's frustrating.
I...more
I...more
I really enjoyed this book. I can see why it might not appeal to everyone, but how could I resist a saga about a man with a useless English degree trying to find employment/a place in the world?? Technically, though, Levinson is better off than I am, because he never went to grad school! Personal notes aside, I admire Levinson's narrative because it encompasses intense bitterness while perserving a charming dash of openness. Rather than merely lamenting his fate, he keeps trying to make things w...more
I stumbled across this book because my girlfriend works with the author's sister. The premise seemed right up my alley... a fairly intelligent, educated guy without any particularly marketable skills who wanders from one job to another. His degree is in English and mine is in philosophy, but we both crave variety and enjoy physical work. Clearly we share some common ground.
The book can basically be broken down into three sections. The first section details about two dozen of Levison's jobs, and...more
The book can basically be broken down into three sections. The first section details about two dozen of Levison's jobs, and...more
This is the story of how Levison, armed with a nearly-useless degree in English, worked 42 jobs in 10 years, quit 30, was fired by 9, and can’t remember the other 3. Throughout this endless journey (one that hits very close to home for many) he works as a cook, a fish cutter, a crab fisherman, and a truck driver, to name just a few. In every case he finds the absurdity of the job, and in a larger sense, he spots the absurdity of what passes for “work” in this country. He comes to notice that app...more
After the initial amusement, I found myself reminded of the phrase "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result."
Does the author really think the next long-haul trucking or restaurant job is going to lead to career bliss and health insurance? What is the common denominator here?
Levison does a good job laying out how a college graduate can end up in this cycle, he doesn't do such a hot job of seeing the opportunities to break out of it. Rather than making f...more
Does the author really think the next long-haul trucking or restaurant job is going to lead to career bliss and health insurance? What is the common denominator here?
Levison does a good job laying out how a college graduate can end up in this cycle, he doesn't do such a hot job of seeing the opportunities to break out of it. Rather than making f...more
As someone who just finished doing their taxes--and had to explain to an accountant why they worked 5 taxable jobs in one tax year--I really enjoyed this book. Because of some "self-employment 1099-form" situation, I had to create a business on the spot; then I had to find an appropriate title to encompass someone who both teaches poetry to the elderly and facilitates large corporate-group ticket sales for a local science center. This book is certainly an extreme example of someone who works ext...more
For anyone who's ever had a shitty job. For anyone who's ever had a passion outside of the 9 to 5. For anyone who was ever hassled for the work uniform or called an "associate" as opposed to "employee." And for anybody who's ever been slapped silly for hitting overtime and costing the company 1.5 times your hourly wage. And I quote, "They have some kind of computer system, I am told, where lights and buzzers go off in the payroll office the minute anyone receives overtime, and regional managers...more
The subtitle to this book is "A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember." That pretty much sums it up. The author recounts his misadventures of a variety of jobs that are either low paying, extremely difficult or both. The author has a good sense of humor and sarcasm that make the book a good, fast read, but you also get the taste of what it is like to work some of these jobs -- including working a fishing boat in Alaska. I really enjoyed this book, and I kno...more
Only 1 review! Poor bloke, here's my two cents. I read this doozy over a year ago but I still remember enjoying it immensely. The story: twenty something gets a liberal arts uni degree and struggles to find work though from no lack of effort. Sound familiar? Certainly does to me! Levison (a Scot living in America) does what he can to stay afloat and find something fulfilling and pays well.
Like I said, it's been a year but there was one unforgettable sequence where he gets a job aboard a fishing...more
Like I said, it's been a year but there was one unforgettable sequence where he gets a job aboard a fishing...more
I gave this book four stars, and not five, because:
The book itself is too short. Once the author gets going, his storytelling remains adequate, and the more he goes into the horridness of some of his jobs brings them out in relief for the reader. While his attitude is usually less than enthusiastic at the places he works, the context of working slavishly day-to-day evokes plenty of empathy without becoming self-pitying, overly angry or unreasonable.
Secondly, the book is not a "manifesto". While...more
The book itself is too short. Once the author gets going, his storytelling remains adequate, and the more he goes into the horridness of some of his jobs brings them out in relief for the reader. While his attitude is usually less than enthusiastic at the places he works, the context of working slavishly day-to-day evokes plenty of empathy without becoming self-pitying, overly angry or unreasonable.
Secondly, the book is not a "manifesto". While...more
I read this for a Country Music/Literature class in college that I was taking that was very interesting. It is an amusing, entertaining read about graduating college with an English degree and not being able to find work! It frightened me at the time, but then, whenever I would panic about future job prospects, I would always remember that I could just write a book like this dude did! He had some very funny and memorable working experiences as a truck driver and on a fishing boat.
"Everyone is f*ed up, and those who aren't soon will be. The mayor should figure out how to say that in Latin and make it the town motto. Or better yet, 'Dutch Harbor: What fatal flaw in your character made you wind up here?'"
Too, too funny. What really sold me on this book is that it's more than a bitter recounting of folks that've done the author wrong -- he draws a vivid picture of each unusual workplace, and devotes plenty of attention to bringing the colorful characters to life. It's effect...more
Too, too funny. What really sold me on this book is that it's more than a bitter recounting of folks that've done the author wrong -- he draws a vivid picture of each unusual workplace, and devotes plenty of attention to bringing the colorful characters to life. It's effect...more
This book was fun. It's in one of the subgenres I'm fond of - people with degrees in useless subjects who work crappy minimum wage jobs. This was novel in that the author was male - I am not sure I've read a guy-penned one before. Lots more moving heavy boxes than most. I'm not *terribly* sure that there's much of a manifesto here, but that's a minor quibble.
Also, if you're flying cross-country, this shouldn't be your only book; I read it in under 2 hours.
Also, if you're flying cross-country, this shouldn't be your only book; I read it in under 2 hours.
The premise was promising and it was a book that needed to be written as it was extremely tough finding a worthwhile job when it was written but I think instead of coming across funny or witty Levinson came across as a bitter Bukowski wannabe. I really wanted to like it having been there but as someon who has sat across similar chaps in my dating days I can honestly say that it wasn't his employment prospects hurting his chance with the ladies but his rubbish attitude. I'm hoping the book was wr...more
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. I think this book is a good compliment to Nickel and Dimed as other reviewers mentioned. However, unlike Ehrenreich, I found Levison to be likable and believable (It's really hard to see Ehrenreich as a blue collar worker). Levison chronicles his various jobs in this book and writes about the people he meets- both his supervisors and his coworkers (none of whom is a snob towards). He's pretty cynical but who wouldn't be. At the end o...more
I enjoyed this book and laughed at a few passages. Seems the less you get paid the more they work you like a dog, and I'm not talking about the family pet. Really liked the paragraph on "artistes". Made me know there others like me who see them for what they are, pseudo intellectual pretentious art snobs, self indulgent, selfish, self important a-holes.
Jan 27, 2009
Carly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who has ever had a crappy job.
Shelves:
2009
This was a fun, quick read. Exactly what I was looking for to counter-balance the dense, serious books I've been reading.
Although, I believe the job to be mis-named. I certainly do not recall him actually mentioning 42 different jobs...and I guess it kind of bothers me that it is in the title. He could have just as simply titled it, "A Memior of Jobs I've Quit, Been Fired From, and Some I Can't Remember" No need for numbers that will become inconsequential, right?
There's not much I can say abou...more
Although, I believe the job to be mis-named. I certainly do not recall him actually mentioning 42 different jobs...and I guess it kind of bothers me that it is in the title. He could have just as simply titled it, "A Memior of Jobs I've Quit, Been Fired From, and Some I Can't Remember" No need for numbers that will become inconsequential, right?
There's not much I can say abou...more
If you want to read a book about jobs you never want to do and if you want to read a book that is cynical about business, this is the book for you. Alas, I am too much of an optimist to resonate with this author. I think the author is too jaded and honestly, kinda blind to his own lack of creativity.
For being unemployed, with no apartment, no car, no job, and living with my parents, I found this book to be an excellent comfort. Not everyone out there in the big, wide world of work has it so great. A lot of jobs, in fact, suck. This book served as a nice reminder of that fact.
An easy interesting read. It is listed as a memoir and is definitely more of that than an in-depth look at working class trials and tribulations. Iain regales us with anecdotes about jobs he's worked and writes well so one feels as if they can at least understand the hardships of each job. In one, he works at a sort of upscale grocery store where the managers follow corporate rules to a T, even at the expense of logic and reality. In another, he describes the desperation of young men travelling...more
Started off well, but got progressively darker and more miserable. Despite some genuinely funny moments in the early chapters, this book devotes sixty excruciating pages to one set of jobs in Alaska. In those sixty pages, there is one funny line. In place of funny moments, there are long and horrible stories that often involve people ganging up on someone and beating them up. It only goes downhill from there.
Got a couple hours to kill and maybe need a laugh? Then this is the book for you. Nice quick read that provokes just enough brain cells into activity to keep it interesting.
Iain Levison is hilarious about something that has a lot of dark humor in it but isn't necessarily funny. Anyone's who's ever worked a shit job ever will love this book.
Interesting, cynical, hilarious, and blunt. I liked this book a lot. I will never forget some of the images... This author is also one TOUGH DUDE!!! Shee-it. And for the most part I agree with his observations about the work-world. This book has its critics, i.e., people who've somehow avoided hard jobs. You either get it, or you don't. I love this guy.
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