What Work Is

In commemoration of Labor Day, this week's review analyzes how workers conceptualize labor "in relationship to themselves, their families, their communities, and the world at large."

Posted on September 2, 2024 in Reviews of the Month

What Work Is

Bruno, Robert. Illinois, 2023
232p bibl index, 9780252045493 $110.00, 9780252087608 $24.95, 9780252055119

What Work Is book cover.

In What Work Is, Bruno (Univ. of Illinois) offers a singular exploration of the nature of work, breaking it down into five distinct concepts: work and time, work and space, impact, purpose, and the subject of work. Building on an assignment where he asks students to finish the sentence “Work Is” in six words or less, Bruno delves into work and labor from the unique perspective of the workers themselves, including many union members who have taken his class over the years. Combining the insights of the many students who have completed the assignment over the years with both his family’s labor history and extensive research, Bruno explores how workers consider their work in relationship to themselves, their families, their communities, and the world at large. While he does not intend this book to be a comprehensive history of the nature of work, Bruno does explore some historical and recent labor issues, including the impacts of AI and the pandemic on labor and the Nabisco strike in 2021. A detailed introduction, conclusion, and extensive notes and bibliography complete the volume. An excellent overview of the perspectives of workers.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduates.
Reviewer: W. Kramer, Cornell University
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Business, Management & Labor
Choice Issue: Jul 2024

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