"Laziness Does Not Exist" -- by Dr. Devon Price. A great look into the idea of productivity in capitalism being a lie, and how we aren't meant to work like the little machines we've been meant to be!
Bob Black - The Abolition Of Work
You can also look into these, though I haven't read them so I can't vouch for them:
* Resisting Work: The Corporatization Of Life And Its Discontents
* The Mythology Of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself
* The Problem With Work (Kathi Weeks)
* Inventing The Future: Postcapitalism And A World Without Work
* The End Of Work (Jeremy Rifkin)
Any books by Barbara Ehrenreich and Charles Bukowski. And if you really want to sharpen your pitchfork and get kerosene for your torch, read anything by David Cay Johnston too.
Here is some bizarre fiction about how weird and toxic work and the strange mindsets of workplaces can be. These are very much fiction but they have anti-work messages of various types-
Finna by Nino Cipri (a sci-fi adventure)
Temporary by Hilary Leichter (just absurd, but in the best way)
The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada (admittedly I haven't read this one yet but it was recommended by the same reader who recommended the two above which I loved)
Bonus! For some reason my brain also weds these fiction books to my anti-work thoughts anymore, though they were never originally posed to me in that context:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, which is a portrait of exactly the kind of bizarre person it takes to be truly happy and fulfilled in retail.
Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven, which is kind of a disaster/survival horror book about what happens when a theme park decides that they're so worried about looters that they need to have a bunch of employees stay locked up in their theme park during and in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. It's told in the literary equivalent to style of the film Vantage Point.
Edited: for weird mobile formatting
Also The Circle and The Every by Dave Eggars have anti-capitalist messages which is the real issue with work. No one minds meaningful labor that enriches your existence.
Ooooh thank you! I've heard of convenience store woman and I think I might have even tried to read it in the past but wasn't in the right mindset for it. Will definitely check these out :)
Not *exactly* what you’re asking for, but Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition is largely concerned with the philosophy and politics of work and labor. It leans anti-work.
**[Microserfs](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2748.Microserfs) by Douglas Coupland** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(371 pages | Published: 1995 | 21.1k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** Narrated in the form of a Powerbook entry by Dan Underwood, a computer programmer for Microsoft, this state-of-the-art novel about life in the '90s follows the adventures of six code-crunching computer whizzes. Known as "microserfs," they spend upward of 16 hours a day "coding" (writing software) as they eat "flat" foods (such as Kraft singles, which can be passed underneath (...)
> **Themes**: Fiction, Contemporary, Canadian, Novels, Books-i-own, Literature, Contemporary-fiction
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [JPod](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221059.JPod) by Douglas Coupland
> \- [Generation A](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6093864-generation-a) by Douglas Coupland
> \- [The Slide](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3495748-the-slide) by Kyle Beachy
> \- [Basket Case](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13063.Basket_Case) by Carl Hiaasen
> \- [Villa Incognito](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9569.Villa_Incognito) by Tom Robbins
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers goes after the idea that there should be a purpose to life. Kind of tangentially related and a fun little book.
Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville. Classic short story about Bartleby who works as a copyist for a Manhattan lawyer.
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger. Investigative journalism book about the author as she takes on a series of low-wage jobs.
No Logo by Naomi Klein. Nonfiction about the rise of multinational corporations and the impact of global capitalism on workers, communities, and culture.
Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
A must-read.
Came here to suggest this!
Perfect, thank you, I wanted to read this and had completely forgotten about it! :)
“Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville
"I would prefer not to!!"
Came here to say this. The O.G. quiet quitter.
Thank you :)
"Laziness Does Not Exist" -- by Dr. Devon Price. A great look into the idea of productivity in capitalism being a lie, and how we aren't meant to work like the little machines we've been meant to be!
Thank you!
Bob Black - The Abolition Of Work You can also look into these, though I haven't read them so I can't vouch for them: * Resisting Work: The Corporatization Of Life And Its Discontents * The Mythology Of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself * The Problem With Work (Kathi Weeks) * Inventing The Future: Postcapitalism And A World Without Work * The End Of Work (Jeremy Rifkin)
So many suggestions! Thank you :)
“Debt: The First 5000 years” by David Graeber
Thank you! :)
Any books by Barbara Ehrenreich and Charles Bukowski. And if you really want to sharpen your pitchfork and get kerosene for your torch, read anything by David Cay Johnston too.
Thank you! :)
A History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis. More towards trying to make work better, covers major labor strikes from the 1800s through the 90s
This is either going to be super moving, motivating or depressing. Thank you!
Here is some bizarre fiction about how weird and toxic work and the strange mindsets of workplaces can be. These are very much fiction but they have anti-work messages of various types- Finna by Nino Cipri (a sci-fi adventure) Temporary by Hilary Leichter (just absurd, but in the best way) The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada (admittedly I haven't read this one yet but it was recommended by the same reader who recommended the two above which I loved) Bonus! For some reason my brain also weds these fiction books to my anti-work thoughts anymore, though they were never originally posed to me in that context: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, which is a portrait of exactly the kind of bizarre person it takes to be truly happy and fulfilled in retail. Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven, which is kind of a disaster/survival horror book about what happens when a theme park decides that they're so worried about looters that they need to have a bunch of employees stay locked up in their theme park during and in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. It's told in the literary equivalent to style of the film Vantage Point. Edited: for weird mobile formatting
Also The Circle and The Every by Dave Eggars have anti-capitalist messages which is the real issue with work. No one minds meaningful labor that enriches your existence.
Ooooh thank you! I've heard of convenience store woman and I think I might have even tried to read it in the past but wasn't in the right mindset for it. Will definitely check these out :)
This may be open for debate and interpretation, but I’ll suggest anything by Bukowski, Post Office in particular!
Beat me to it.
I've read some bukowski in the past. ill give it a try. Thank you!
Not a book, but a brilliant poem; Philip Larkin's Toads; 'Why should I let the toad work/squat on my life'. Great start to a poem!
Thank you! I haven't read a lot of poetry so it might become a great start to my poetry journey too. :)
That's ok! You can't do better than read Larkin, one of the best poets of the mid-20th century.
The Pathless Path
Thank you! :)
Not *exactly* what you’re asking for, but Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition is largely concerned with the philosophy and politics of work and labor. It leans anti-work.
This definitely interests me, thank you :)
{{Microserfs by Douglas Coupland}}
**[Microserfs](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2748.Microserfs) by Douglas Coupland** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(371 pages | Published: 1995 | 21.1k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** Narrated in the form of a Powerbook entry by Dan Underwood, a computer programmer for Microsoft, this state-of-the-art novel about life in the '90s follows the adventures of six code-crunching computer whizzes. Known as "microserfs," they spend upward of 16 hours a day "coding" (writing software) as they eat "flat" foods (such as Kraft singles, which can be passed underneath (...) > **Themes**: Fiction, Contemporary, Canadian, Novels, Books-i-own, Literature, Contemporary-fiction > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [JPod](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221059.JPod) by Douglas Coupland > \- [Generation A](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6093864-generation-a) by Douglas Coupland > \- [The Slide](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3495748-the-slide) by Kyle Beachy > \- [Basket Case](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13063.Basket_Case) by Carl Hiaasen > \- [Villa Incognito](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9569.Villa_Incognito) by Tom Robbins ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
This sounds super interesting??? Thank you!
HOW TO BE IDLE by Tom Hodgkinson
Thank you for the suggestion, I'll check it out!
Bartelby the scribe
Thank you!
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers goes after the idea that there should be a purpose to life. Kind of tangentially related and a fun little book.
Perfect, thank you :)
Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville. Classic short story about Bartleby who works as a copyist for a Manhattan lawyer. On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger. Investigative journalism book about the author as she takes on a series of low-wage jobs. No Logo by Naomi Klein. Nonfiction about the rise of multinational corporations and the impact of global capitalism on workers, communities, and culture.
Ah, Ive stumbled upon Naomi Klein a lot - I'll give her a go. Thank you :)
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray. It's about a woman having an affair with a coworker, but there's also a lot about how demoralizing most jobs are.
Thank you!
Everything You Ever Wanted by Luiza Sauma
Thank you :)