Working : People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do is a 1974 nonfiction book by the oral historian and radio broadcaster Studs Terkel. Working investigates the meaning of work for different people under different circumstances, showing it can vary in importance. The book also reflects Terkel's general idea that work can be difficult but still provides meaning for workers. It is an exploration of what makes work meaningful for people in all walks of life, from Lovin' Al the parking valet, Dolores the waitress, the fireman, to the business executive. The narrative moves through mundane details, emotional truths, and existential questioning. WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY ADAM COHEN OF THE NEW YORK TIMES Perhaps Studs Terkel's best-known book, Working is a compelling look at jobs and the people who do them. Consisting of over one hundred interviews with everyone from a gravedigger to a studio head, from a policeman to a piano tuner, this book provides an enduring portrait of people's feelings about their working lives. "A powerful, original, indescribable and incredible book ... Only an interviewer of genius, exploiting the tape recorder as hardly anyone else has done, could possibly have brought it forth."--Lewis Mumford "A magnificent book ... a work of art. To read it is to hear America talking."-Boston Globe "Splendid ... Important ... Rich and fascinating ... The people we meet are not digits in a poll but real people with real names who share their ancedotes, adventures, and aspirations with us."-Business Week "The talk in Working is good talk-earthy, passionate, honest, sometimes tender, sometimes crisp, juicy as reality, seasoned with experience."-Washington Post "Nothing could tell our children's children who and how and what we were the way Studs Terkel will. Is it possible the great American novelist is Terkel'"-Murray Kempton A Pulitzer Prize winner interviews workers, from policemen to piano tuners: “Magnificent . . . To read it is to hear America talking.” — The Boston Globe A National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestseller Studs Terkel’s classic oral history Working is a compelling look at jobs and the people who do them. Consisting of over one hundred interviews with everyone from a gravedigger to a studio head, this book provides a “brilliant” and enduring portrait of people’s feelings about their working lives. This edition includes a new foreword by New York Times journalist Adam Cohen ( Forbes ). “Splendid . . . Important . . . Rich and fascinating . . . The people we meet are not digits in a poll but real people with real names who share their anecdotes, adventures, and aspirations with us.” — Business Week “The talk in Working is good talk—earthy, passionate, honest, sometimes tender, sometimes crisp, juicy as reality, seasoned with experience.” — The Washington Post

A Pulitzer Prize winner interviews workers, from policemen to piano tuners: "Magnificent... To read it is to hear America talking." — The Boston Globe A National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestseller Studs Terkel's classic oral history Working is a compelling look at jobs and the people who do them. Consisting of over one hundred interviews with everyone from a gravedigger to a studio head, this book provides a "brilliant" and enduring portrait of people's feelings about their working lives. This edition includes a new foreword by New York Times journalist Adam Cohen ( Forbes ). "Splendid... Important... Rich and fascinating... The people we meet are not digits in a poll but real people with real names who share their anecdotes, adventures, and aspirations with us." — Business Week "The talk in Working is good talk—earthy, passionate, honest, sometimes tender, sometimes crisp, juicy as reality, seasoned with experience." — The Washington Post

Men and women representing a variety of occupations, describe the daily routine of their jobs and express their grievances, aims, and dreams A collection of interviews with working people in a wide variety of occupations.