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162nd out of 216 books
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136 voters
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Blown Sideways Through Life: A Hilarious Tour de Resume
Dubbed "The Ultimate Working Girl" by Newsweek, Claudia Shear takes readers on a wild adventure through the American work force in Blown Sideways Through Life.
Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are...more
Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
April 1st 1996
by Delta
(first published 1995)
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Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend on what you do?
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the u...more
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the u...more
Fun, quick read. A friend of mine let me borrow it while on vacation and I enjoyed reading about the perils of working odd jobs to make a living. Great reminder on remembering the human spirit in others wherever you encounter them.
James
rated it
What a ride! This is someone I would love to hang around with - she is effortlessly hilarious and seemingly willing to take on nearly any adventure. Her writing, which at times is almost stream-of-consciousness, is also insightful and compassionate. She portrays the people she's gotten to know in a lot of surreal situations in a way that gets past their roles as waiters, proofreaders, prostitutes, and brings who they are beyond those roles into focus. My wife and I read this book aloud and I los...more
A fast, funny, sometimes sad but hopeful read.
A short funny great read.
According to the U.S. National Bureau of Labor Statistics*, the average American will hold a total of 10.8 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42. Actress/writer Claudia Shear held 64 including pastry chef, nude model, receptionist in a whorehouse and an Italian translator. In a monologue reminiscent of Studs Terkel's WORKING, Shear talks about defining one's self by what one does, and does so with humor and candor.
*http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf
*http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf
Talk about turning lemons into lemonade... Shear turns a history of odd and awful jobs into art, with a loving and insightful spirit permeating all. Luminous writing.
It took me a loooooong time, but I finally finished this book. It was enjoyable for a bit of fun reading.
I saw this on PBS many years ago, so when I finally got my hands on the book I read it in her "voice."
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“I wasn't really eight anymore. The day you know danger and fear, and know that you are alone, is the day you grow, if not up, then old.”
—
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