Why people recommend it
Working by Studs Terkel is a celebrated nonfiction book composed of extensive interviews with a wide array of American workers regarding their daily occupations and personal feelings about their labor. On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner referenced Terkel's work to examine what individuals do throughout the day, noting that the Chicago writer and radio host published the volume fifty years prior, featuring conversations with a diverse set of laborers including a cab driver, a waitress, a bookbinder, a factory owner, and an industrial designer. Later, on The Book Review, John Williams discussed the same book, mentioning that a listener named Cleaves had submitted it as a noteworthy response on Facebook. Williams observed that he had anticipated more people would recommend Terkel's oral history documenting the daily lives and employment experiences of ordinary workers. Both podcast appearances highlighted the enduring relevance of Terkel's project, which captures the authentic voices and perspectives of the American workforce across different trades and socioeconomic backgrounds, providing a timeless sociological portrait of labor, identity, and economic life that continues to resonate with contemporary readers and listeners alike.
Who recommended it
- John Williams Discussed
John Williams — 1 mention
“we had one answer on Facebook uh that I thought was interesting because I expected more people to say it which is Cleaves who answered stud Turles working which is the sort of oral history of people talking about life on their jobs”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“Fifty years ago, the Chicago writer and radio host Studs Terkel published a book called 'Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.' Terkel interviewed dozens of people about their jobs: a cab driver, waitress, bookbinder, factory owner, industrial designer, a gravedigger, a carpenter; the book became a classic. It was”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“in the same way that studs Turles working is fascinating and that it's a window into a world that I really didn't know anything about”