Robert Skinner
Author of Skin Deep, Blood Red
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Works by Robert Skinner
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It was just luck, I think, that I came across I'd Rather Not by Robert Skinner — an author who rejoices in not taking himself too seriously.
The book is a collection of humorous essays (some of which were originally published in The Monthly so I never saw them). This is the blurb:
This is how it begins in Part One, titled 'War and Peace'. You can see his style. It's droll self-mockery and it satirises The System.
Alas, he soon finds out that the hours aren't good at all. After the appointment with the dole officer, he has to fill in a job diary and apply for 20 jobs each fortnight.
Skinner even manages to make comedy out of the Robodebt scandal at Centrelink. (The Robodebt scheme (2016-2019, and since then the subject of a Royal Commission) was an automated debt assessment and recovery scheme with terrified thousands of Centrelink recipients with inaccurate and often monstrously large Centrelink debts, and there was no viable way to explain that it was inaccurate.)
The chapters called 'House Party' and 'Car Sick' are full of Laugh Out Loud moments. Melbourne is under Lockdown. He is housesitting in somebody's mansion.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/10/11/id-rather-not-2023-by-robert-skinner/ show less
The book is a collection of humorous essays (some of which were originally published in The Monthly so I never saw them). This is the blurb:
Robert Skinner arrives in the city, searching for a richer life. Things begin badly and then, surprisingly, get slightly worse. Pretty soon he’s sleeping rough and trying to run a literary magazine out of a dogshow more
park. His quest for meaning keeps being thwarted, by endless jobs, beagles, house parties, ill-advised love affairs, camel trips and bureaucratic entanglements.
Sometimes a book catches the spirit of the times. I’d Rather Not is about work, escape and that something more we all need.
This is how it begins in Part One, titled 'War and Peace'. You can see his style. It's droll self-mockery and it satirises The System.
I retired when I was twenty-eight years old, but ran out of money that same afternoon, so I caught a bus to the dole office. My feeling about unemployment was: Someone's gotta do it. Why not me? The pay was lousy, but I'd heard the hours were good. (p.3)
Alas, he soon finds out that the hours aren't good at all. After the appointment with the dole officer, he has to fill in a job diary and apply for 20 jobs each fortnight.
It was even more odious than having a job. It sounded like I would be doing a lot of extra work, so I asked if I'd be getting a corresponding pay rise.
His answer was long and wearisome...(p.6-7)
Skinner even manages to make comedy out of the Robodebt scandal at Centrelink. (The Robodebt scheme (2016-2019, and since then the subject of a Royal Commission) was an automated debt assessment and recovery scheme with terrified thousands of Centrelink recipients with inaccurate and often monstrously large Centrelink debts, and there was no viable way to explain that it was inaccurate.)
The chapters called 'House Party' and 'Car Sick' are full of Laugh Out Loud moments. Melbourne is under Lockdown. He is housesitting in somebody's mansion.
In a burst of civic enthusiasm, I applied for a job driving deliveries for Australia Post. Because everyone was in isolation, I had to interview myself on video. I set up in front of the bay window and described at length my love of parcels, post and driving trucks. My application was rejected in the first round. (p.75)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/10/11/id-rather-not-2023-by-robert-skinner/ show less
I'd Rather Not by Robert Skinner is a highly recommended collection of fourteen essays/stories.
Skinner, from Australia, is extremely funny at times and entertaining throughout. I laughed out loud several during some stories, while others were enjoyable, although perhaps not as genuinely humorous to me. As I was reading this collection it did seem that citizens of Australia might appreciate all of these stories more than I would. Other readers should appreciate musings about his job history show more and other adventures. This collection can be read all at once or one at a time.
Some highlights (not quotes, modified) that had me laughing in tears include: a remark about holding racism against the Swiss; leadership defined as when you to jump in front of a pack of charging camels after being told to; needing money from a first magazine issue to pay for the second being a Ponzi scheme; people compared to pack animals who need to know their place to thrive (still laughing over the context and complete paragraph); listing his reason for visiting a country as "Idiot." This is a quick, easy, entertaining collection with a gorgeous book cover on the edition from Steerforth.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Steerforth Press via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/09/id-rather-not.html show less
Skinner, from Australia, is extremely funny at times and entertaining throughout. I laughed out loud several during some stories, while others were enjoyable, although perhaps not as genuinely humorous to me. As I was reading this collection it did seem that citizens of Australia might appreciate all of these stories more than I would. Other readers should appreciate musings about his job history show more and other adventures. This collection can be read all at once or one at a time.
Some highlights (not quotes, modified) that had me laughing in tears include: a remark about holding racism against the Swiss; leadership defined as when you to jump in front of a pack of charging camels after being told to; needing money from a first magazine issue to pay for the second being a Ponzi scheme; people compared to pack animals who need to know their place to thrive (still laughing over the context and complete paragraph); listing his reason for visiting a country as "Idiot." This is a quick, easy, entertaining collection with a gorgeous book cover on the edition from Steerforth.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Steerforth Press via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/09/id-rather-not.html show less
this was a quick and easy read. it was written to be popular with the masses, so it was "witty", and had basically zero references to anything that might have backed up the bold claims made in it. it did have an extensive list of studies and articles at the back of the book, but that doesn't really tell me anything. i do find this topic really interesting though, and plan on reading up on it more. hopefully the next book will succeed a little better in convincing my inner sceptic, as well.
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