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Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs by John Bowe
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Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs

by John Bowe

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This is a book I read every few years or so. The book basically consists of people from all walks of life talking about their jobs. The jobs run the full gamut -- from Kinko's employee to actress (Debra Messing) to crime scene cleaners. Each interview has a unique voice depending on who is telling the story. You really get a glimpse inside each person's working world and their life. In my view, it is a more modern version of Studs Terkel's Working, which I just found too dated for my tastes. ( )
  Jenners26 | Dec 12, 2008 |
Completely unique book - unlike any I've read before. Compilation of short true stories from various Americans talking about their jobs. Most are quite frank in their assessment of the down and dirty of their professions - an amusing potpourri of people from all walks of life. ( )
  jmcclain19 | Aug 4, 2007 |
Love your job? Hate your job? These vignettes may give you a newfound appreciation (or disdain) for the work you do.
-- Gina
  BaileyCoy | Jun 30, 2007 |
Ever wonder what a food stylist does, and what they think about it? How about a transvestite prostitute, buffalo rancher, or "Elvis Presley interpreter"? These and other unique jobs are mixed in with temps, Kinko's co-workers, waitresses, and bar owners. With text straight from these people's mouths, it's like sitting down and having a cup of coffee with them. The short sections are perfect for a quick read when you only have a couple minutes to fill. A very fun book.

(Q) ( )
  q_and_a | Mar 2, 2007 |
I really enjoy reading this book. It's about people describing their jobs honestly. They tell what they exactely do, whether they like what they do or not etc. Interestingly, I had no idea that some of these jobs even exist. ( )
  birgit | Nov 16, 2006 |
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Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0609807072, Paperback)

“Amazing . . . a gem of a book that uses only the strength of the human voice to tell an American story -- sometimes dark, always fascinating.”
-- USA Today

“The accounts are wonderfully revealing, with gritty and almost shockingly honest detail. For all their variety, they weave a cohesive, passion-filled story of what people bring to their work. It's an addictive read.”
-- Harvard Business Review's Best Business Books of 2000

“Keen, disturbing, and deeply felt . . . the stories in Gig deliver a more rousing political wallop than those in Working . . . remarkable and strangely moving.”
-- Susan Faludi, The Village Voice

“I love this book! It's surprising and entertaining and makes the world seem like a bigger and more interesting place. Gig manages to document everyday life and give pure narrative pleasure at the same time. One feels proud to live in the same country as the people in this book.”
-- Ira Glass, host of This American Life

“A fascinating compilation of what the American workforce has to say about itself.”
-- George Plimpton

“Eye-opening . . . more revealing than any theories a sociologist could concoct.”
-- The Industry Standard

“Entertaining, sobering, validating . . . Ordinary people discuss their jobs with extraordinary candor.”
-- US Weekly

“In the age of advanced spin, this book accomplishes a very rare thing. It actually lets workers speak for themselves. . . . The result makes for a fascinating read.”
-- Andrew Ross, director, American Studies Program at New York University

“Emotional and eye-opening, each compelling description offers insight about the job itself and, more important, an intimate view of a single human life.”
-- Austin Chronicle

“An engaging, humorous, revealing, and refreshingly human look at the bizarre, life-threatening, and delightfully humdrum exploits of everyone from sports heroes to sex workers.”
-- Douglas Rushkoff, author of Coercion, Ecstasy Club, and Media Virus

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:52 -0400)

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