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United Nations NGO Committee on Sustainable Development
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The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (Vintage International) |  | Author: Alain De Botton
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $9.28
as of 9/10/2010 02:59 CDT details
You Save: $6.67 (42%)
New (36) Used (4) from $9.28
Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 114,210
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0307277259
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.36
EAN: 9780307277251
ASIN: 0307277259
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
We spend most of our waking lives at work—in occupations most often chosen by our inexperienced younger selves. And yet we rarely ask ourselves how we got there or what our jobs mean to us.
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work is an exploration of the joys and perils of the modern workplace, beautifully exploring what other people wake up to do each day—and night—to make our frenzied world function. With a philosophical eye and his signature combination of wit and wisdom, Alain de Botton leads us on a journey around an eclectic range of occupations, from rocket scientist to biscuit manufacturer, from accountant to artist—in search of what makes jobs either soul-destroying or fulfilling.
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| Customer Reviews:
 a thoughtful eye and some stealthy humor June 2, 2010
datura2002 (Houston, TX)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an excellent, meditative book on the meaning of work by Alain de Botton, author of _The Architecture of Happiness_ and _Consolations of Philosophy_. In each chapter of the book, de Botton turns his thoughts to a particular profession or job (artist, rocket scientist, entrepreneur) . He usually attaches himself to a member of the occupation in question or makes a visit to a place of work.
Botton's writing style is graceful and philosophical, but he is also hilariously funny every now and then, which surprised me. His turns of wry wit arrive suddenly and quietly, and are even more effective for their suddenness. The section on accountancy (p. 241-242, "They are like renal surgeons for whom one is first and foremost a always a kidney") and the paragraphs on de Botton's attempt to get a closer look at an airplane junkyard (p. 315-316) are especially funny.
Read it; you won't regret it.
 Oddly Uplifting July 19, 2010
Gilgamesh (New Jersey)
The gorgeous writing and unique perspectives in The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (Vintage International) make this book on despair (despite the title, there is not much pleasure in what he examines) oddly uplifting.
WHAT'S INSIDE?
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The author investigates ten pursuits (not necessarily occupations): cargo ship spotting (a hobby--I admit to dabbling in this myself), logistics, biscuit manufacture, career counselling, rocket science, painting, transmission engineering, accountancy, entrepreneurship, and aviation. Stark black and white photographs accompany thoughtful essays on the significance of these activities.
WHAT'S THE MESSAGE?
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Although the book is sprinkled with pleasant interludes of subdued humor, elegant prose, and profound insights, it circles back again and again to the inhumanity of the working world which we have constructed. According to the author, we've tapped our incredible intellectual abilities to strip beauty and wonder out of our banal existence. The worst part is that most of us are blissfully unaware of the misery that we have created, because we have become (or seek to become) specialists who eke out a meager existence in our tiny niches. All we know is that we want bubbles in our soft drinks, cheap t-shirts, and the other benefits of a global consumer culture.
It is not light reading for the beach. Take, for example, this passage from the caption for a photo of fishermen killing a tuna: "There is a dull sound, that of densely packed brain and experience, shattering inside a tight bony cage, triggering the thought that we too are never more than one hard slam away from a definitive end to our carefully arranged ideas and copious involvement with ourselves" (p. 60). It can be a little too grisly and gloomy in places. Yet, despite its lack of enthusiasm for modernity, it never spirals out of control into despair. Instead, it opens our eyes and asks us to look around, consider what we have done, and recognize how radically our world has changed from that of our ancestors.
I understand the author to be saying that our unhappiness is not the result of our inner inadequacies, but rather arises out of the strange circumstances in which we find ourselves. Ironically, the bitter truth he offers can actually provide relief from our suffering. You may not find a lot of hope for the future in here, but at least you can identify what it is in the present that is weighting your spirit down. You have to read it to see what I mean. You won't look at the workplace (or the rest of the world around you) in the same way again.
SUMMARY
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Sometimes we read books to escape reality, and if that is what you are in the mood for right now, you'll want to just save this book in your cart for later. Maybe you are wondering, though, why your job isn't fulfilling. Or you are asking yourself why it is that you seem to have all of the stuff you want, but aren't happy about it. It's at times like those that you'll want to pick up this book. I highly recommend it.
Remarkable portrait of work in the twenty first century July 28, 2010
Mariano David Rubio (Buenos Aires - Argentina)
The author achieves a great description of work by describing several professions in a wide array of fields, from Accounting to Artistic painting.
Similar to how a costumary painter renders a particular situation, the author goes by describing in detail the activities engaged and the feelings in play by particular individuals in their respective field.
From time to time, De Boton pauses to drill into the inner motivations and feelings of the individuals whose work is being described, with mastery depth and reflection.
What is the main driver that makes us wake up everyday of our lives and perform a series of rutinary minor tasks chained along the day? The author hints to work being a ticket that rides us along our adult lives.
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