The Refusal of Work: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work

David Frayne looks deep into the accepted norm of a work-centered society. His argument is focused less on the economic value of work, but more on the various ways which society has equated work with a moral good. Even if your job is tedious, bad for your health, robbing you of time for your family or just to explore your interests, having a job is still seen as superior to unemployment.

His case studies offer a glimpse into the lives of individuals who have tried to negotiate a lesser presence of work within their daily priorities, showing the challenges they face but also forcing us to reconsider the image of the "idle unemployed." I highly recommend this book for anyone studying the workforce, but also just for those who are show more attempting to revisit the unhealthy relationship we have with our work. show less

Very interesting read. This book takes aim at the way our society enshrines the idea that virtually every adult should be working 40 hours a week (or, sadly, more). What if we were to question this idea? It makes points about how huge productivity gains could be used to shorten our working hours, but instead have mostly gone capital (aka line the pockets of big business owners). The author recognizes that we're nowhere near to achieving the goal of shortening our working hours, but provides a couple of starting points, such as creating a "politics of time". Worth a read for anyone working 9 to 5 (or worse) who dreams about things being different.