Patron Picks: The World of Work at Open Book Hour
What are you reading? Every month at our Open Book Hour at Mid-Manhattan Library at 42nd Street, readers meet to exchange fiction and nonfiction book recommendations. If you'd like to join us at the Mid-Manhattan Library, Open Book Hour meets the second Friday of each month at 1 PM, in the alcove outside the Program Room (room 78).
Next up: On Friday, June 14 at 1 PM, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we'll talk about love and resistance in literature. You can see information on upcoming discussion themes, and check out our past reading lists.
At our May session, Open Book Hour readers shared recommendations featuring workplace drama in fiction and in real life.
May Open Book Hour: The World of Work
Workplace Fiction
The Firm by John Grisham (1991)
Joan describes The Firm as a page-turner and said she enjoyed it very much. It is about a young attorney torn between his large salary and informing on an FBI investigation.
The rest of the group had also enjoyed, or seen films based on, John Grisham books, including A Time To Kill.
Convenience Store Womanby Sayaka Murata (2018)
Melissa shared the story of a Japanese woman who loves her job at a convenience store: it's predictable and she knows just what is expected of her, as it is all outlined in the employee manual.
At the same time, she is painfully aware she is not living up to societal expectations and that her family is worried about her.
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (2007)
Lauren says that when she read this book 12 years ago, she laughed out loud at the familiar quirks and indignities of American office life, right down to drama erupting over desk chairs.
The book is written in the first-person plural, a characteristic it shares with Americana by Don DeLillo (1971); the first line of DeLillo's book also happens to be the inspiration for Ferris's title.
The Assistants by Camille Perri (2016)
Janine recommended this book about a young executive assistant working for a powerful media CEO. The woman is burnt out on the job, and struggling to pay off her student loans, when she discovers a rare, but illicit, opportunity to make her troubles disappear.
The Circle by Dave Eggers (2013)
Melissa mentioned this book about a company that links users' personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with a universal operating system, purportedly to usher in a new age of civility and transparency.
When Mae starts her job there, she is thrilled to work for the most influential company in the world—but the walls slowly begin to close in around her.
Work and Labor Nonfiction
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
Janine mentioned this book based on Ehrenreich's investigation of people who work long hours and live below the poverty level. This brought up a discussion about Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder (2017), a book on a similar theme and the subject of a recent author talk at Mid-Manhattan Library.
The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Livesby Theresa Brown (2015)
Melissa discussed this book about a day in the life of a nurse. Her takeaways were centered on the value of work, and the dedication that one puts into it, and that all work has value. She read a sentence that resonated with her, capturing the quiet thoughtfulness of a nurse:
"Arthur gave me the necklace for our anniversary a few years back. I reach behind my neck with both hands and secured the clasp, comforted by having a reminder of love in the hospital."
Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace by Nikil Saval (2014)
Lauren talked about this book which describes the evolution of white-collar work from 19th century clerks in crowded "counting houses" to the modern, open-plan knowledge economy start-up, drawing on sources from management texts to Dilbert.
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel (1974)
Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobsedited by John Bowe, Marisa Bowe and Sabin Streeter (2001)
Lauren and Melissa mentioned the similar concepts behind two older books, which help to document the jobs people have done, and how they think about them.
Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay / Bonjour paresse: de l'art et de la nécessité d'en faire le moins possible en entrepriseby Corinne Maier (2005)
Wilsa recommended this book and noted that, while some have described it as cynical and anti-business, Bonjour Laziness highlights the stark differences between American and French culture. She found it full of humor and truths about work that are not openly discussed: most workers are easily replaceable, will not necessarily reap the rewards of hard work or directly benefit from a company’s profits, and will never reach high-level positions because of racial, gender, or other prejudices.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg (2013)
Lean Out by Dawn Foster (2016)
The group spoke briefly about the popularity of Sandberg's book and message, as well as the quieter backlash to the idea that the challenges women face in the workplace can be solved only by them "leaning in," and only by playing by the same patriarchal rulebook that is to blame for workplace inequality.
Dawn Foster argues in her book that "leaning out" of the corporate model is a more effective way of creating cultural change.
What are your favorite work sagas? Please share your recommendations in the comments section below.