Books › Working › Books like it
If you loved
Books like Working
A rich, conversational tapestry of everyday voices revealing the profound fears, joys, and meaning found in daily labor. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Working.
- intimate
- grounded
- contemplative
- humanistic
- 01
"The Good War"
Studs Terkel · 1984
A sprawling, intimate chorus of ordinary voices dismantling the myths of a legendary conflict to reveal the raw humanity underneath.
- 02
Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich · 2001
A sharp, boots-on-the-ground immersion into the exhausting reality of low-wage America that shatters the myth of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps.
- 03
Hand to Mouth
Linda Tirado
A fiercely intelligent, no-bullshit dispatch from the front lines of the American working poor.
- 04
The Rise of the Creative Class
Richard Florida · 2002
An analytical exploration of how creativity became the defining economic and cultural force of modern American society.
- 05
Black like me
John Howard Griffin · 1961
A raw, real-time diary of a man stepping across the color line to experience the crushing weight of systemic hatred firsthand.
- 06
The Craftsman
Richard Sennett · 2009
A contemplative and deeply grounding exploration of the profound human need to do a job well for its own sake.
- 07
Which side are you on?
Thomas Geoghegan
A wry, melancholic, and deeply personal love letter to the American labor movement from a lawyer who has spent his life fighting its losing battles.
- 08
A People's History of the United States
Howard Zinn
A paradigm-shifting journey through American history that amplifies the voices of the oppressed and challenges everything you were taught in school.
- 09
Bait and Switch
Barbara Ehrenreich · 2005
A sobering, sharp-eyed descent into the precarious reality of the modern middle class, where doing everything right is no longer enough.
- 10
Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser
A gripping, stomach-churning journey behind the counter of America's most ubiquitous industry.
- 11
The Price of Inequality
Joseph E. Stiglitz
A rigorous, eye-opening autopsy of a rigged economic system that leaves you both frustrated and armed with understanding.
- 12
The making of the English working class
E. P. Thompson · 1963
A deeply empathetic historical journey that restores voice and political agency to the everyday laborers of the eighteenth century.
