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Bullshit Jobs cover art

Bullshit Jobs

By: David Graeber
Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
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Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber, read by Christopher Ragland. 

Be honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered why not? Up to 40% of us secretly believe our jobs probably aren't necessary. In other words: they are bullshit jobs. This audiobook shows why, and what we can do about it.

In the early 20th century, people prophesied that technology would see us all working 15-hour weeks and driving flying cars. Instead, something curious happened. Not only have the flying cars not materialised, but average working hours have increased rather than decreased. And now, across the developed world, three-quarters of all jobs are in services, finance or admin: jobs that don't seem to contribute anything to society. In Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber explores how this phenomenon - one more associated with the Soviet Union, but which capitalism was supposed to eliminate - has happened. In doing so, he looks at how, rather than producing anything, work has become an end in itself; the way such work maintains the current broken system of finance capital; and, finally, how we can get out of it.

This audiobook is for anyone whose heart has sunk at the sight of a whiteboard, who believes 'workshops' should only be for making things, or who just suspects that there might be a better way to run our world.

©2018 David Graeber (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Spectacular and terrifyingly true." (Owen Jones) 

"Explosive." (John McDonnell, New Statesman, Books of the Year) 

"Thought-provoking and funny." (The Times)

What listeners say about Bullshit Jobs

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Read the original essay

Not really much expanded beyond the original essay there is a great deal of filler material.

Whilst the first half of the book is entertaining enough Graeber’s inability to offer much of a solution, or at least template for resistance, means he sails perilously close to doing a “bullshit job” in his analysis

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36 people found this helpful

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Excellent

Graeber is an amazing social scientist, with a gift for precise arguments. This book is an development of his 2013 piece with the same title, and his attempt at a social theory of labour - or lack thereof -, and a must read to anyone who wants to think about work and what it means to us humans.

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10 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Hj
  • 15-07-19

Excellent listen, but can't sort by chapter

Well-written and reasoned argument, but the audiobook isn't divided into chapters, and that's real bull***t!

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8 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but the argument is simple

This was a really interesting book, but there is a lot of repetition. The author seems to assume his point requires extensive backing up and anecdotes. Whilst his explanation is important, I feel I was often hearing the same discussion again. and again in slightly different words. I also found it a little odd to have an American narrator when 70-80% of the author's examples were UK specific.

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7 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Generally good, albeit a little one sided.

If you can forgive the author for being a little bit one sided (he knows what he knows and doesn't really entertain how anyone could disagree with him) then you may just be able to see where he is coming from in what is a sensible conclusion on the world of modern work and an enjoyable yarn to get there. At times the author maybe over does things and waxes lyrical on a point that most readers got in his first paragraph introducing the point and in general the book is quite long for a relatively simple conclusion. He also uses anecdote heavily without any real statistical pedigree and focuses far too much on his own limited experiences in academia and liberal circles. Despite all this I tend to find his logic and conclusions sound and found myself enjoying the "story".

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The last great taboo?

Fascinating idea that the author has clearly well researched. Worth the read and adds a new dimension to the UBI discussion. If you've never worked in a large corporate office environment you may be in for an eye opener and if you have worked in such environments you'll likely feel a sense of relief to know you are not alone in having a bullshit job.

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5 people found this helpful

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Incredible ideas and fascinating insights.

This is a must read for everyone. Packed with historical perspectives and brilliant observations that will challenge you and everything you have ever believed about work.

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4 people found this helpful

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Opportunity missed - only Dave Sparts need apply.

This book has such a great premise, and a there is a brilliant book waiting to be written about the topic, but this ain't it.

David Graeber can't help distracting himself from his excellent premise (that there are a huge volume of the best paying professional jobs around the world that are tedious, pointless, and counterproductive: there definitely are; I possess one) to his pet, tiresome and knuckle-headed political theories, which are mainly boring except when they are unintentionally comical. (Graeber describes himself as "your typical socialist libertarian" in once place, in several others as a "radical anarchist committed to the removal of all state apparatus", yet his final (nonsensical) prescription for finally ridding the world of bullshit jobs is that profoundly libertarian, anarchist, anti-statist idea of a universal basic income. Give me strength, or him some clue about macroeconomics - I don't care which.

I almost gave up on the book three times but each time Graeber managed to re-rail himself and talk about actual bullshit jobs for a few paragraphs, before losing his focus again embarking on yet another disquisition on the Labour Theory of Value.

Graeber is quite unable to see the interesting phenomenon he has described in any other terms than an archetypal battle between the rentier forces of running dog capitalism, and some kind of parody of the Marxist characterisation of the heroic working class. It is nothing of the sort, and nor do we bullshit jobbers remotely resent those who do real work. We are profoundly envious and respectful of them but regretful their roles aren't adequately paid for if they were, we would be with them in a heartbeat.

Needless to say, to Graeber a tenured position teaching anthropology at good university doesn't count as a bullshit job (others may beg to differ), and while it may provide a basic income I dare say Graeber won't complain about the supplement this bullshit book provides.

Dismal.

Olly Buxton

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4 people found this helpful

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Yawn

It’s a vaguely interesting fleeting idea that would be better as a newspaper article rather than an entire book.
The irony of a book about fluff being fluffed out with fluff.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Book serves as a guide to avoid pointless work.

This book serves better as a guide to avoid pointless work rather than an overarching explanation of a large number of modern jobs.
I enjoyed the book as someone who is young and thinking of changing career but wants to stay in an ethical field. The book has helped me realise that as long as a job it is socially useful, plays to my skills and pays a fair wage that I would be happy enough in it.
I am not sure if the author intended it to be a self-help guide, but I think this is the book's biggest strength.

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