Studs Terkel

Working

1. IDEA 1

   Ordinary workers tell their stories

   Terkel, a radio broadcaster, interviewed more than a hundred Americans about their jobs. In their own voices, they describe what they do all day and how they feel about it.

2. IDEA 2

   Work shapes identity

   Terkel's interviews show how deeply people's jobs affect their sense of who they are. Work is about meaning as well as money. In his account, many of his speakers describe their jobs as the main way they understand themselves.

3. IDEA 3

   Many feel unseen

   Many of Terkel's speakers describe feeling invisible or unappreciated. They want recognition for what they do. In his account, the wish to be noticed and valued shows up again and again, whether in a factory, an office or a shop.

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