Good Enough Job - BookWyrm

272 pages

English language

Published July 6, 2023 by Penguin Publishing Group, Portfolio.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-53896-8

(3 reviews)

"Superb."—Oliver Burkeman

A challenge to the tyranny of work and a call to reclaim our lives from its clutches.

From the moment we ask children what they want to “be” when they grow up, we exalt the dream job as if it were life’s ultimate objective. Many entangle their identities with their jobs, with predictable damage to happiness, wellbeing, and even professional success.

In The Good Enough Job, journalist Simone Stolzoff traces how work has come to dominate Americans’ lives—and why we find it so difficult to let go. Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with Michelin star chefs, Wall Street bankers, overwhelmed teachers and other workers across the American economy, Stolzoff exposes what we lose when we expect work to be more than a job. Rather than treat work as a calling or a dream, he asks what it would take to reframe work as a part of life …

"Superb."—Oliver Burkeman

A challenge to the tyranny of work and a call to reclaim our lives from its clutches.

From the moment we ask children what they want to “be” when they grow up, we exalt the dream job as if it were life’s ultimate objective. Many entangle their identities with their jobs, with predictable damage to happiness, wellbeing, and even professional success.

In The Good Enough Job, journalist Simone Stolzoff traces how work has come to dominate Americans’ lives—and why we find it so difficult to let go. Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with Michelin star chefs, Wall Street bankers, overwhelmed teachers and other workers across the American economy, Stolzoff exposes what we lose when we expect work to be more than a job. Rather than treat work as a calling or a dream, he asks what it would take to reframe work as a part of life rather than the entirety of our lives. What does it mean for a job to be good enough?

Through provocative critique and deep reporting, Stolzoff punctures the myths that keep us chained to our jobs. By exposing the lies we--and our employers--tell about the value of our labor, The Good Enough Job makes the urgent case for reclaiming our lives in a world centered around work.

2 editions

Santhosh Guru reviewed Good Enough Job by Simone Stolzoff

Review of 'Good Enough Job' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

D.W. Winnicott's ideology of "good enough parent," which I discovered through The School of Life, is a refreshing take on parenting. My impression of this concept of a "good enough parent" is not to over-index on being perfect, but being present with one's imperfections and vulnerabilities, holding space for the kid, and letting them self soothe. More importantly, a parent doesn’t lose themselves in kids’ emotions/tantrums but still love them. When I learned about this book that looks at work through the lens of "good enough", I was naturally curious.

Maybe it's my middle-class upbringing or my financially not well-off environment with deep-seated patriarchy; I have never questioned "work or career." In all my school and college days, the highest priority has been for "career" and getting settled in a good enough job, making good money, and getting "settled" in life. But now that I have spent a couple of …

D.W. Winnicott's ideology of "good enough parent," which I discovered through The School of Life, is a refreshing take on parenting. My impression of this concept of a "good enough parent" is not to over-index on being perfect, but being present with one's imperfections and vulnerabilities, holding space for the kid, and letting them self soothe. More importantly, a parent doesn’t lose themselves in kids’ emotions/tantrums but still love them. When I learned about this book that looks at work through the lens of "good enough", I was naturally curious.

Maybe it's my middle-class upbringing or my financially not well-off environment with deep-seated patriarchy; I have never questioned "work or career." In all my school and college days, the highest priority has been for "career" and getting settled in a good enough job, making good money, and getting "settled" in life. But now that I have spent a couple of decades in the job market I tend to believe this - “If your identity was defined by your job, you never really had a real identity.”

So the approach of looking at the job as something good enough to do is pretty compelling. One of Esther Perel's quotes hit a nerve with me - "Too many people bring the best of themselves to work and bring the leftovers home." This is a good summary of how and where we need to stack rank work in our life. This book is a good enough exploration of this concept through various lenses - passion, purpose, perks, and general wealth.

It resonated well with me; give it a try.

Pixel

rated it

April 8

wheresalice

rated it

Nov. 10, 2023

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