Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Penguin Books (2010), Edition: Reprint, 246 pages
Description
In this wise and often funny book, a philosopher/mechanic systematically destroys the pretensions of the high-prestige workplace and makes an irresistible case for working with one's hands.
Media reviews
But at its best, the book is both impassioned and profound.
Crawford argues that the ideologists of the knowledge economy have posited a false dichotomy between knowing and doing. The fact of the matter is that most forms of real knowledge, including self-knowledge, come from the effort to struggle with and master the brute reality of material objects —
Show More
loosening a bolt without stripping its threads, or backing a semi rig into a loading dock. All these activities, if done well, require knowledge both about the world as it is and about yourself, and your own limitations. They can’t be learned simply by following rules, as a computer does; they require intuitive knowledge that comes from long experience and repeated encounters with difficulty and failure. In this world, self-esteem cannot be faked: if you can’t get the valve cover off the engine, the customer won’t pay you. Show Less
It's not an insult to say that Shop Class is the best self-help book that I've ever read. Almost all works in the genre skip the "self" part and jump straight to the "help." Crawford rightly asks whether today's cubicle dweller even has a respectable self. Many of us work in jobs with no
Show More
discernible products or measurable results. We manage brands and implement initiatives, all the while basing our self-esteem on the opinions of others.
You might call Crawford a locavore of work. He wants economic policies that are human in scale and provide maximum opportunity for self-reliance and self-employment. That may sound like Declaration of Independence language, but it's not an amber-encased ideal. As Crawford shows, all freedom takes is a little willingness to get your hands greasy. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work is one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. Author, thinker, and motorcycle mechanic Matthew B. Crawford tackles the sweeping subject of work in America and how it has changed dramatically over the past century, covering
I was hooked from the start when he began talking about the pervasive ways technology has helped us not to help ourselves. He calls it “the hood beneath the hood,” when you open up your car to fix something yourself and are confronted with a more aesthetically pleasing view that precludes the possibility of your getting at the actual problem itself. Or when you’re confronted with a water faucet that you can’t turn on manually but must activate by inanely waving your hands before it to coax a short stream of water out. I’ve experienced this frustration myself with our DVD player that, presumably to make things “easier,” has no buttons on it but is instead controlled solely by the remote (which often doesn’t work).The rather sobering point is that as technology becomes more complex to increase our convenience, it also increases our dependence as we become passive users rather than active problem-solvers.
Crawford explains the evolution of vocational education and why it took on the stigma it still carries, even today when its cognitive and practical value has been demonstrated. He compares today’s knowledge worker and office environment to the fast-disappearing skilled craftsman, to the detriment of the former. Knowledge work is subject to offshoring to an extent unprecedented among the trades which require a person to be on site, pounding a nail or fixing a drain. Also under critical examination are the nebulous rules and qualifications which the office worker (and management) must navigate and often make up as they go along, as opposed to the carpenter who faces merely “the accusation of his level” (that is, an objective and unchanging standard).
Crawford is uniquely qualified to write a book like this, having lived on both sides of the knowledge worker/skilled craftsman divide. After college he worked for several months at a think tank, coming up with what he calls “the best arguments money could buy.” The work was extremely well paid but lacked the tactile satisfaction inherent to physical labor. He soon quit to start a motorcycle repair shop where he wrestles with the innards of recalcitrant bikes (and loves it).
Not only is it thought-provoking, but this book is also skillfully written. Crawford has a keen sense of phrasing and doesn’t waste a word. I found Shop Class as Soulcraft to be well worth the read, fascinating as well as slightly disturbing where our culture’s shortcomings and weaknesses are exposed. Still, there is hope for the next generation of workers. The skilled trades aren’t going away; people will always need houses built and healthcare provided and services skillfully performed. And today we are seeing a national shift toward career preparation that is broader than the traditional college-to-career path. The key is to find what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, what challenges and stretches and becomes part of you somehow — and do it, regardless of what the larger culture thinks.
As a defense of hands-on, skilled labor, this book is convincing. As a confrontation of the fallacious and empty ideals we’ve inherited about knowledge work versus blue-collar jobs, it’s more important than ever. Recommended!
Show More
such broad topics as technology, vocational education, car and motorcycle repair, business management, the degradation of blue-collar work, and many other ideas and institutions we take for granted. Crawford challenges the easy assumptions of what he calls our “throwaway culture” to make a compelling case for the cognitive rigor, objective standards, and personal dignity inherent to skilled manual labor.I was hooked from the start when he began talking about the pervasive ways technology has helped us not to help ourselves. He calls it “the hood beneath the hood,” when you open up your car to fix something yourself and are confronted with a more aesthetically pleasing view that precludes the possibility of your getting at the actual problem itself. Or when you’re confronted with a water faucet that you can’t turn on manually but must activate by inanely waving your hands before it to coax a short stream of water out. I’ve experienced this frustration myself with our DVD player that, presumably to make things “easier,” has no buttons on it but is instead controlled solely by the remote (which often doesn’t work).The rather sobering point is that as technology becomes more complex to increase our convenience, it also increases our dependence as we become passive users rather than active problem-solvers.
Crawford explains the evolution of vocational education and why it took on the stigma it still carries, even today when its cognitive and practical value has been demonstrated. He compares today’s knowledge worker and office environment to the fast-disappearing skilled craftsman, to the detriment of the former. Knowledge work is subject to offshoring to an extent unprecedented among the trades which require a person to be on site, pounding a nail or fixing a drain. Also under critical examination are the nebulous rules and qualifications which the office worker (and management) must navigate and often make up as they go along, as opposed to the carpenter who faces merely “the accusation of his level” (that is, an objective and unchanging standard).
Crawford is uniquely qualified to write a book like this, having lived on both sides of the knowledge worker/skilled craftsman divide. After college he worked for several months at a think tank, coming up with what he calls “the best arguments money could buy.” The work was extremely well paid but lacked the tactile satisfaction inherent to physical labor. He soon quit to start a motorcycle repair shop where he wrestles with the innards of recalcitrant bikes (and loves it).
Not only is it thought-provoking, but this book is also skillfully written. Crawford has a keen sense of phrasing and doesn’t waste a word. I found Shop Class as Soulcraft to be well worth the read, fascinating as well as slightly disturbing where our culture’s shortcomings and weaknesses are exposed. Still, there is hope for the next generation of workers. The skilled trades aren’t going away; people will always need houses built and healthcare provided and services skillfully performed. And today we are seeing a national shift toward career preparation that is broader than the traditional college-to-career path. The key is to find what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, what challenges and stretches and becomes part of you somehow — and do it, regardless of what the larger culture thinks.
As a defense of hands-on, skilled labor, this book is convincing. As a confrontation of the fallacious and empty ideals we’ve inherited about knowledge work versus blue-collar jobs, it’s more important than ever. Recommended!
Show Less
LibraryThing member ebnelson
A metaphysical exploration in the meaningfulness of work by an author who is both a professional knowledge worker and a professional craftsman. Although at times a bit too existential for some people’s taste, it serves as a very accessible dialog on what constitutes meaningful work and
Show More
intellectual engagement. Detailing the metachanges in how Americans view work since the Ford’s advent of mass production, Crawford gives a well-reasoned apology for craft work both economically and, more importantly, to ensure engaged and meaning-filled lives of the masses. Works well along side A Brave New World. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
I had huge expectations for this book. After all, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is my all-time favorite read. Shop Class was a huge disappointment, probably due to my huge expectations. It reads with a mix of the stilted verbosity of academia and the incomprehensible (to me) vocabulary
Show More
of mechanics. I kept reading, hoping to see why others liked it, but it did not happen for me. Love to know what others liked about this book. It is the rare read that I trudged through, flipping ahead on almost every page, hoping to reach the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member aliay
Part academic inquiry, part autobiography, all awesome. Crawford stitches together conversations on Artistotle, Arendt, and motorcycle repair like it's nobody's business.
I found myself wanting to agree with him about his arguments regarding "white collar" work more than I actually agreed with him.
However, I found this book immensely philosophical AND readable. More satisfying than Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, less annoying than an all-out manifesto. Recommended.
I found myself wanting to agree with him about his arguments regarding "white collar" work more than I actually agreed with him.
Show More
I thought some of the observations were dead-on, but I thought that others were kind of wonky and unsupported (seriously, the automatic faucet as a symbol of material non-involvement and narcissism? What about that they help stop the spread of germs?) However, I found this book immensely philosophical AND readable. More satisfying than Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, less annoying than an all-out manifesto. Recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CosmicBullet
This work compares favorably with Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. For me, the early chapters come across a little on the dense side, however, as Crawford seems to be establishing his credentials as a serious philosopher. I bogged down a little bit there. But I confess to being
Show More
attracted to and reading Shop Class as Soulcraft primarily for its value to me as a kind of remedial course in the value of hands-on work -- especially work that converts me from being a kind of spectator in some assemble-by-the-numbers charade to becoming a genuine here-and-now mechanical problem solving Zen master. Thanks, Matthew, for the pep talk. I have broken out my Craftsman manuals again with their exploded diagrams and detailed bills of materials, and have begun to order parts - subsequently to tear into and finally repair some of the ailing machines in my tool shed! From experience, I know that the process will not be without some improvisation, as rusted bolts and missed tolerances inevitably will depart from the ideal. But via Crawford's book I am reminded of the value and reward of working through these unanticipated details. Show Less
LibraryThing member horacewimsey
Makes me wonder why I ever went to college, and then to law school. Of course, since I'm not in the least technically inclined, maybe I'm cut out to be a pencil pusher.
LibraryThing member subbobmail
Matthew B. Crawford used to work in a think tank, and now he works with his hands, fixing motorcycles. He thinks that modern labor is alienating, and that most modern jobs do not center upon a striving for excellence, but upon an amorphous sense of "team spirit" that deadens the individual. I agree
Show More
with him on many points. His ideas are interesting. Unfortunately, he still writes like a think-tank denizen, turning out sentences that would, if they were engine parts, be discarded as awkward and clunky and needlessly crooked. Still worth a peek, though... Show Less
LibraryThing member BlackSheepDances
This book was just released in May and it's fascinating. It espouses the return to good ol' manual labor! The author's conjecture: he likes to work on motorcycles and feels good when he does. But he takes that further and shows new studies regarding work that are surprising, especially considering
He finds in his own work, as well as informal study and in tremendous research that hands-on workers, such as plumbers, painters, mechanics, and builders report more job satisfaction than a white collar, 'stuck in front of a computer monitor' executive. And, even more interesting is that in most cases, these workers end up making more money too, and their jobs are less fragile in a bad economic downturn. Common sense really, as we will get our toilets fixed and our cars running even if we are broke!
The author has nothing against higher education, but he points out that most guidance counselors push students into colleges with loftier hopes than are generally realized; and in fact often sneer at students that take more humble ROP or trade classes. And he backs it all up with data that supports his belief.
He then dips even further into the mind set of a manual worker: the joy from hard work, and the ability to see a project progress right in front of them, start to finish. To start a project and finish it within a few days and realize his goals on a tactile, personal level. The ability to make decisions that directly impact his work space and work goals by being more in charge of his time and resources. He also shows that the typical "ideal" employee graph would show a worker starting at an entry level position (hands on) and then working into management and further up, yet the rate of job satisfaction decreases the higher up they rise! So the "ideal" promoted by schools and colleges needs to change.
He's not suggesting that an employee have no ambition or drive, but rather to excel in what they do and take pride in it, and not be pressed to promote himself at the expense of his craft. Even specialization, often looked upon as a negative, actually makes their work more valuable. He suggests that mechanics or other tradespeople develop within their skills even more specialized skills and focus on excellence rather than self promotion.
All in all, a fabulous read. Sort of along the lines of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but it actually discusses more about motorcycle maintenance and about the world of a mechanics shop (camaraderie, dirty jokes and all!).
Show More
what mainstream beliefs have been regarding blue collar work. He finds in his own work, as well as informal study and in tremendous research that hands-on workers, such as plumbers, painters, mechanics, and builders report more job satisfaction than a white collar, 'stuck in front of a computer monitor' executive. And, even more interesting is that in most cases, these workers end up making more money too, and their jobs are less fragile in a bad economic downturn. Common sense really, as we will get our toilets fixed and our cars running even if we are broke!
The author has nothing against higher education, but he points out that most guidance counselors push students into colleges with loftier hopes than are generally realized; and in fact often sneer at students that take more humble ROP or trade classes. And he backs it all up with data that supports his belief.
He then dips even further into the mind set of a manual worker: the joy from hard work, and the ability to see a project progress right in front of them, start to finish. To start a project and finish it within a few days and realize his goals on a tactile, personal level. The ability to make decisions that directly impact his work space and work goals by being more in charge of his time and resources. He also shows that the typical "ideal" employee graph would show a worker starting at an entry level position (hands on) and then working into management and further up, yet the rate of job satisfaction decreases the higher up they rise! So the "ideal" promoted by schools and colleges needs to change.
He's not suggesting that an employee have no ambition or drive, but rather to excel in what they do and take pride in it, and not be pressed to promote himself at the expense of his craft. Even specialization, often looked upon as a negative, actually makes their work more valuable. He suggests that mechanics or other tradespeople develop within their skills even more specialized skills and focus on excellence rather than self promotion.
All in all, a fabulous read. Sort of along the lines of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but it actually discusses more about motorcycle maintenance and about the world of a mechanics shop (camaraderie, dirty jokes and all!).
Show Less
LibraryThing member bikesandbooks
The most intriguing and interesting chapter, chapter six, is entitled "The Contradictions of the Cubicle". For those who enjoy "The Office," this book is a more sober overview of the value of work with considerations to the value and goals of a college education as considered in light of what is
The book, not surprisingly is fond of jobs that require working with you hands, or perhaps more so jobs which must be done locally. This is a 3.5 star book. The writings style is thoughtful and carefully footnoted if not also a bit dry, occasionally impenetrable and meticulously considered.
end/
some quotes I found interesting:
p. 7 -- We often hear of the need for an "upskilling" of the workforce, to keep up with technological change. I find the more pertinent issue to be: What sort of personality does one need to have, as a twenty-first-century mechanic, to put up with the layers of electronic bullshit that get piled on top of machines.
This quote is a musing upon the existence of a Mercedes sold without a dipstick making the driver completely dependent on "idiot lights" and the services of mechanics. For anyone who has ever change oil this insight is self-evident and unassailable.
p. 197 -- My point, finally, isn't to recommend motorcycling in particular, nor to recommend the life of the mechanic. It is rather to suggest that if we follow the traces of our own actions to their source, they intimate some understanding of the good life.
p. 209 -- It remains for others, better versed in public policy and shrewder about its intended consequences, to suggest ways in which the space for entrepreneurship can be protected. I would like to recommend a progressive-republican approach to the problem, which would be at once prickly and aspiring. Let us say that republicanism is a tribunal spirit that looks with active hostility on whatever erodes the stature of man. Progressivism entertains visions of a better world. A progressive-republican disposition would take its bearings from our shared potential to realize what is best in the human condition, and regard the conditions for its realization as a common weal that is not to be vandalized with impunity.
Show More
necessary to succeed in professional life, i.e. occupations which require advanced degrees. The book, not surprisingly is fond of jobs that require working with you hands, or perhaps more so jobs which must be done locally. This is a 3.5 star book. The writings style is thoughtful and carefully footnoted if not also a bit dry, occasionally impenetrable and meticulously considered.
end/
some quotes I found interesting:
p. 7 -- We often hear of the need for an "upskilling" of the workforce, to keep up with technological change. I find the more pertinent issue to be: What sort of personality does one need to have, as a twenty-first-century mechanic, to put up with the layers of electronic bullshit that get piled on top of machines.
This quote is a musing upon the existence of a Mercedes sold without a dipstick making the driver completely dependent on "idiot lights" and the services of mechanics. For anyone who has ever change oil this insight is self-evident and unassailable.
p. 197 -- My point, finally, isn't to recommend motorcycling in particular, nor to recommend the life of the mechanic. It is rather to suggest that if we follow the traces of our own actions to their source, they intimate some understanding of the good life.
p. 209 -- It remains for others, better versed in public policy and shrewder about its intended consequences, to suggest ways in which the space for entrepreneurship can be protected. I would like to recommend a progressive-republican approach to the problem, which would be at once prickly and aspiring. Let us say that republicanism is a tribunal spirit that looks with active hostility on whatever erodes the stature of man. Progressivism entertains visions of a better world. A progressive-republican disposition would take its bearings from our shared potential to realize what is best in the human condition, and regard the conditions for its realization as a common weal that is not to be vandalized with impunity.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ddrysdale
Crawford, who left academia and a think tank to open his own motorcycle repair shop meditates on alienated labour in the age of the knowledge worker. It starts stronger than it finishes, at its best when it is considering the evolution of the blue collar / white collar divide and the construction
Show More
of manual labour as being anti-intellectual when it is often anything but. It lags a bit toward the end but is well worth the read, especially for anyone who finds themselves working but not really producing anything tangible. Crawford makes a strong case for the importance of learning "shop"-type skills, even occasionally gesturing toward their worth as a subversive act. An interesting read. Show Less
LibraryThing member motjebben
Okay. One is not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I'll admit that the cover (with the motorcycle in front of the shop) is the first thing that attracted my attention.
I'm certain that I'm primed by years of enjoying woodworking, metalworking, old engines and other hobbies, and even having
I see a shop in the picture and think of building things and tinkering with gadgets (like, perhaps, the motorcycle).
Though I'm certain that such priming can "go the other way", the imagery evoked in me is pleasant, perhaps, not only because I, too, sense the intrinsic worth and satisfaction of a "job" well done, but because I have also not had to suffer the potential realities of working in what Crawford explains is presently a devalued vocation.
Therein lies the rub for me: I grew up thinking that I would be able to apply my engineering education in highly creative and "intellectual" ways (and often have been able to and have become accustomed to the pay!), but have become increasingly disillusioned by the efficiencies espoused by modern corporate and economic culture and increasing distancing from "touching the actual gadget" being engineered!.
That is why, once I was captured by the cover, I was intrigued by the title of the book, and found myself purchasing it to discover more. And I am glad I did! It is stimulating to read Crawford's musings about the advantages of "craft work" and "working with one's hands", though he readily points out that more money can be made elsewhere. I wonder, if, as Crawford even briefly discusses was the case at one time for many, the answer for me is that I can attempt to enjoy my increasingly productivity-oriented and "remote" engineering work, and still make time for the more creatively indulging hobbies.
Perhaps for others that are not already accustomed to a particular vocation and pay, or even more ideally, the pendulum swings back to valuing crafts in both an intrinsic and monetary way, an even more satisfying way can be had.
The "Shop Class as Soulcraft" provokes such thoughts and imaginations - I recommend it!
I'm certain that I'm primed by years of enjoying woodworking, metalworking, old engines and other hobbies, and even having
Show More
had a motorcycle for a short period when younger, to being attracted to such images. I see a shop in the picture and think of building things and tinkering with gadgets (like, perhaps, the motorcycle).
Though I'm certain that such priming can "go the other way", the imagery evoked in me is pleasant, perhaps, not only because I, too, sense the intrinsic worth and satisfaction of a "job" well done, but because I have also not had to suffer the potential realities of working in what Crawford explains is presently a devalued vocation.
Therein lies the rub for me: I grew up thinking that I would be able to apply my engineering education in highly creative and "intellectual" ways (and often have been able to and have become accustomed to the pay!), but have become increasingly disillusioned by the efficiencies espoused by modern corporate and economic culture and increasing distancing from "touching the actual gadget" being engineered!.
That is why, once I was captured by the cover, I was intrigued by the title of the book, and found myself purchasing it to discover more. And I am glad I did! It is stimulating to read Crawford's musings about the advantages of "craft work" and "working with one's hands", though he readily points out that more money can be made elsewhere. I wonder, if, as Crawford even briefly discusses was the case at one time for many, the answer for me is that I can attempt to enjoy my increasingly productivity-oriented and "remote" engineering work, and still make time for the more creatively indulging hobbies.
Perhaps for others that are not already accustomed to a particular vocation and pay, or even more ideally, the pendulum swings back to valuing crafts in both an intrinsic and monetary way, an even more satisfying way can be had.
The "Shop Class as Soulcraft" provokes such thoughts and imaginations - I recommend it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member bkinetic
I enjoy books like this that explore topics that are not a part of conventional mainstream discussion. The author makes very good points that are not being made elsewhere. Unfortunately it reads like a master's thesis. It needs to be rewritten to get the message across more effectively and without
Show More
the heavy academic style. Show Less
LibraryThing member sullijo
Crawford offers an insightful critique of our modern notions of "knowledge" and a profound treatise on how the "useful arts" -- work that requires real skill and practice to master -- combines the best of both manual and intellectual engagement. This book has made me want to learn some manual
Show More
skills, starting with some basic woodworking. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisod
I wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't. I agree with the author thesis, but unfortunately the book reads too much like a master's thesis. It just wasn't fun to read, even though I mostly agree with everything he was saying.
LibraryThing member fiadhiglas
The author has many interesting and thought-provoking ideas, but a lot of them are misguided, at best. Also, the book reads like his real point is, "I'm smarter and better-educated than you!" For that reason alone, I won't be recommending it to my husband, who I originally thought might like
Also, the author holds many misogynistic attitudes that he doesn't even seem to notice he is displaying -- 95/100 pronouns are male, as if women don't work; he calls corporate culture a "nanny state" and his contempt for diversity and emotional intelligence, among other things, is crystal clear; his assertion that "telling dirty jokes" at work is a *benefit* of jobs in the trades that office workers, those poor saps, don't get to enjoy.
He is apparently married with small daughters. I hope he eventually learns that women are fully human, just like men are -- before his daughters read this book.
Show More
it.Also, the author holds many misogynistic attitudes that he doesn't even seem to notice he is displaying -- 95/100 pronouns are male, as if women don't work; he calls corporate culture a "nanny state" and his contempt for diversity and emotional intelligence, among other things, is crystal clear; his assertion that "telling dirty jokes" at work is a *benefit* of jobs in the trades that office workers, those poor saps, don't get to enjoy.
He is apparently married with small daughters. I hope he eventually learns that women are fully human, just like men are -- before his daughters read this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member librarianbryan
The premise is pretty much summed up in the title. Escape Dilbert-land. Learn a craft. Make a living from your craft. I get it. Pirsig-lite.
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
Philosopher and motorcycle mechanic Crawford wants more people to learn a trade -- electrician, plumber, mechanic, carpenter -- and fewer people to go to college just to work in a cubicle for 40 years. He makes a pretty convincing case for it both pragmatically and metaphysically. I wouldn't mind
Show More
discussing this book with other people who read it, but I won't try to summarize; it might be a book I'll have to read again. On the other hand, it's too late for me anyway and my aptitudes do not lie in the direction of anything mechanical. In that sense this book was a little depressing. I'd definitely recommend it to just about anyone, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member linedog1848
There might not have been an entire book's worth of material in this subject, but it was well written and engaging. My gripes with the work are minimal, but worth mentioning: First, the unfortunate phrasing by the author from time-to-time suggesting his own internalization of the elitist judgment
It kind of reminded me of the feeling I had walking into Costco one morning and seeing the part of the Pixar movie "Wall-E" that condemns Western Consumerism playing in sync on a hundred jumbo plasma-screen TVs.
With all that said, I found the read very enjoyable, enriching, and it gave me a new perspective to examine my life, my behavior, and my world--and that is the sign of excellent writing.
Show More
of labor on which the work ostensibly seeks to disprove. Second, that as a topic book of social forces, Crawford's best arguments derive from first principles--appealing to forces every reader has felt and therefore accepts on some level as intuitively true. The arguments are (I think) weakened when he transitions to evidence from social sciences and other such non-practical work that is generally passed as less valuable. There's not enough of it to present an empirical case, so what there is of empiricism gives the appearance of cherry-picking. Third, for me the narrative was not enhanced by his re-hashing of the spiritual aspects of mechanical maintenance from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig. These points were good from Crawford, and just as true, but are more poignant in their original context than as used here to give a narrative cohesion to this topic. Finally, Crawford seems very much on his game regarding social forces, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt that either A: His literary agent, B: his editor, or C: the publishing house are responsible for the framing context of the title and the cover art which seem shamelessly to seek to ride the coattails as the ideological progeny of Zen and the Art. . . though possibly better suited to a long article than a book, the intellectual impact of Crawford's thesis needed no assistance by aligning itself with another idea with established mass market appeal. That the content of this book is wrapped in emotion-evoking imagery and framed with covert association to works with which it has no natural connection seems ridiculously ironic. It kind of reminded me of the feeling I had walking into Costco one morning and seeing the part of the Pixar movie "Wall-E" that condemns Western Consumerism playing in sync on a hundred jumbo plasma-screen TVs.
With all that said, I found the read very enjoyable, enriching, and it gave me a new perspective to examine my life, my behavior, and my world--and that is the sign of excellent writing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member castiron
The author had interesting points about how the skilled labor trades can offer more satisfaction than grunt white-collar jobs, what kinds of work are becoming more common in the United States, and similar topics. His comment towards the end of the book about how Americans were careful to avoid
However, I wonder how well Crawford's general argument about the value of hands-on reality-based work as the basis of careers that both pay a living wage and provide satisfaction would hold up if he had extended it to cover work that's more traditionally done by women. Home and family management; the care and teaching of children -- these jobs have the same reality-based qualities that motorcycle repair or electrical work have, and many women and some men find these jobs satisfying, so much so that they're willing to forgo paid work to do them if at all possible, but this work rarely provides an independent living wage. Traditionally female crafts such as sewing, knitting, or spinning can provide great satisfaction, but when machines or workers in poor countries can do the work well enough for cheap, it's difficult to pay the mortgage from one's piecework. In fifteen or twenty years, I'd be very curious to read Crawford's further thoughts on this as his daughters become working-aged adults.
Show More
concentrations of political power but failed to do the same with concentrations of economic power -- that's a great way to summarize one of the problems with our current economy.However, I wonder how well Crawford's general argument about the value of hands-on reality-based work as the basis of careers that both pay a living wage and provide satisfaction would hold up if he had extended it to cover work that's more traditionally done by women. Home and family management; the care and teaching of children -- these jobs have the same reality-based qualities that motorcycle repair or electrical work have, and many women and some men find these jobs satisfying, so much so that they're willing to forgo paid work to do them if at all possible, but this work rarely provides an independent living wage. Traditionally female crafts such as sewing, knitting, or spinning can provide great satisfaction, but when machines or workers in poor countries can do the work well enough for cheap, it's difficult to pay the mortgage from one's piecework. In fifteen or twenty years, I'd be very curious to read Crawford's further thoughts on this as his daughters become working-aged adults.
Show Less
LibraryThing member gbsallery
This is not a successor to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but draws heavily upon it and updates some of the themes. At times, it feels a little too much a plea for craft-focused elitism, but the book does articulate some useful ideas about the relationship between work and intrinsic
Show More
value. Also, the anecdote about spinning a bearing whilst drying it with compressed air makes me doubt the degree of "machine empathy" actually present in the author (in that it was clearly a daft thing to do, but was presented as a mystical exercise). Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
A short but profound reflection on the nature and meaning of work, integration of vocation and joy, and other rarely considered but critical things like ethics and morals. Along the way, Crawford offers a very insightful comment on the state of our financial system.
LibraryThing member Speesh
Disappointing.
The premise is a good one, and it began well, and interestingly. But as you read on, you realise, as he seems to do as well, that there isn't really a lot more to say, than he's already said in the book's title.
There are interesting little passages dotted about the book, and whilst
As a book, it would be better suited as an essay (which it may well have begun life as), or as what I believe used to be called in the old days; 'a pamphlet'.
Someone must have told him 'that'd make a good book', but it doesn't. Not for me anyway.
The premise is a good one, and it began well, and interestingly. But as you read on, you realise, as he seems to do as well, that there isn't really a lot more to say, than he's already said in the book's title.
There are interesting little passages dotted about the book, and whilst
Show More
arguing for the book's main premise, he manages to remain objectively detached. Perhaps a little too detached, because some irrational passion might have enlivened things somewhat.As a book, it would be better suited as an essay (which it may well have begun life as), or as what I believe used to be called in the old days; 'a pamphlet'.
Someone must have told him 'that'd make a good book', but it doesn't. Not for me anyway.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BenjaminHahn
I have been meaning to read this short treatise on work for a while, so I was glad I found a used copy in Homer a month or so ago. In short, this is what I wish Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was more like. If you have read that book, you might agree with me that it takes a while for the
He goes after colleges and universities a bit for being part of the problem, which I agree with to a point. I should know I work at one and sometimes the insides of academia leave a lot to be desired. But he is mainly upset with the false promise of the "degree = meaningful work" maxim which is strongly echoed throughout high schools today. The vocational paths are not available, much less celebrated, nor respected.
My favorite part in the book is in a section entitled Learned Irresponsibility where Crawford is critiquing the role of managers in administrative careers. He writes:
managers do no experience authority in an impersonal way. Rather, authority is embodied in the persons with whom one has working relationships, in part because the criteria of evaluation are ambiguous. As a result, managers have to spend a good part of the day managing what other people think of them. A good part of the job, then, consists of a constant interpretation and reinterpretation of events that constructs a reality in which i is difficult to pin blame on anyone, especially oneself. This gives rise to the art of talking in circles.
This rings quite true for me and is one of the most frustrating things about my line of work. I think its something that most people know but it was refreshing to find it so clearly worded. There is a kernel of hard truth in there that I think is the seed for all those Dilbert cartoons and the fervor that self-employed libertarians express sometimes when ranting about corporate America.
Anyway, as a father, the take away for me, was get your kids working on projects where they have to physically interact with tools and build something. Encourage college, but also encourage the trade skills. I like Crawford's idea of learning a trade skill in the summers, even in high school. After all, it's hard to outsource plumbing work. They aren't going to send your kitchen to China to get repaired.
Show More
point to be made. Crawford instead dives right in and gets to some of the meaty stuff right away. This is not a book about shop per say, but more about the quality of one's livlihood. He bemoans the loss of shop class programs because it takes away an avenue into a type of relationship with one's environment that is more engaging and rewarding. We are in a throw away culture. We do not bother to fix things anymore when they break. More so, we do not even have the desire to fix them or want to know how to fix our stuff. As a society we are more about consuming, which is inherently a path to emptiness. Crawford argues that by facing an obstacle, like a broken toaster, and being forced to tinker with it and hopefully fix it, one engages a critical thinking skill set that is becoming less and less common in our world today. Our default is get a new one. Things aren't built to last anymore, much less be worked on by the layman. Wastefulness ensues, corporate profits increase, dependency on an impersonal system is strengthened. He goes after colleges and universities a bit for being part of the problem, which I agree with to a point. I should know I work at one and sometimes the insides of academia leave a lot to be desired. But he is mainly upset with the false promise of the "degree = meaningful work" maxim which is strongly echoed throughout high schools today. The vocational paths are not available, much less celebrated, nor respected.
My favorite part in the book is in a section entitled Learned Irresponsibility where Crawford is critiquing the role of managers in administrative careers. He writes:
managers do no experience authority in an impersonal way. Rather, authority is embodied in the persons with whom one has working relationships, in part because the criteria of evaluation are ambiguous. As a result, managers have to spend a good part of the day managing what other people think of them. A good part of the job, then, consists of a constant interpretation and reinterpretation of events that constructs a reality in which i is difficult to pin blame on anyone, especially oneself. This gives rise to the art of talking in circles.
This rings quite true for me and is one of the most frustrating things about my line of work. I think its something that most people know but it was refreshing to find it so clearly worded. There is a kernel of hard truth in there that I think is the seed for all those Dilbert cartoons and the fervor that self-employed libertarians express sometimes when ranting about corporate America.
Anyway, as a father, the take away for me, was get your kids working on projects where they have to physically interact with tools and build something. Encourage college, but also encourage the trade skills. I like Crawford's idea of learning a trade skill in the summers, even in high school. After all, it's hard to outsource plumbing work. They aren't going to send your kitchen to China to get repaired.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JonathanCrites
A little bogged down in a few sections but overall an excellent, thought provoking piece on the nature of work. Crawford makes a case for work, specifically work that is not centralized and cutoff from its moral value. Good stuff, especially for where I am currently in my own career.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Worth a read. Crawford was at one stage a square peg in a round hole, trying to use his degree in an office he found himself wanting more and the more was to work as a motorcycle mechanic, this is the job that sings to him, that makes him content. He philosophises about this, and comes to the
It is a case of people having to come to terms with the fact that what is now regarded as intellectual work has become diminished and offers as little as is seen in work with hands. I think the big thing that this book brought out for me is that you have to find ways of enjoyment in life and balance.
It's an interesting read.
Show More
conclusion that his education ill-prepared him for being content nor did it draw something out of him (which is the root of educate, to draw out) and that there is intellectual satisfaction to be found in working with your hands, in trying to get to the root of a problematic engine, an intellectual satisfaction that is misunderstood by many people.It is a case of people having to come to terms with the fact that what is now regarded as intellectual work has become diminished and offers as little as is seen in work with hands. I think the big thing that this book brought out for me is that you have to find ways of enjoyment in life and balance.
It's an interesting read.
Show Less
Awards
Borders Original Voices (Nonfiction — 2009)
Templeton Enterprise Award (Second Place — 2009)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2009)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction — 2009)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
246 p.; 7.66 x 0.69 inches
ISBN
0143117467 / 9780143117469
UPC
884337123546