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Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism

Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism

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  • Create Date：2021-08-15 08:16:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Amelia Horgan
  • ISBN：0745340911
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Summary

'Work hard， get paid。' It's simple。 Self-evident。 But it's also a lie—at least for most of us。 For young people today， the old assumptions are crumbling; hard work in school no longer guarantees a secure， well-paying job in the future。 Far from equating to riches and fulfilment， 'work' increasingly means precarity， anxiety and alienation。

Amelia Horgan poses three big questions: what is work？ How does it harm us？ And what can we do about it？ Along the way， she explores the many facets of work under capitalism: its encroachment on our personal lives; the proliferation of temporary and zero-hours contracts; burnout; and how different jobs are gendered or racialized。

While abolishing work altogether is not the answer， Lost in Work shows that when workers are able to take control of their workplaces， they become less miserable， and even open doors allowing them to fight back against the elite。

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Reviews

Ed Penington ，

I really liked this book。 Yes I'm biased because Amelia follows me back on twitter， but for me it truly reflects some very timely and comprehensive thinking about work。Because I just read it， I spent a lot of time comparing this to Graeber's Bullshit Jobs， a book which I also liked but offers a lot less。 Bullshit Jobs is a much more traditional pop non-fiction book， latching on to an angle that No One Is Talking About and applying it to everything in turn。 It reads like a long blog post with a c I really liked this book。 Yes I'm biased because Amelia follows me back on twitter， but for me it truly reflects some very timely and comprehensive thinking about work。Because I just read it， I spent a lot of time comparing this to Graeber's Bullshit Jobs， a book which I also liked but offers a lot less。 Bullshit Jobs is a much more traditional pop non-fiction book， latching on to an angle that No One Is Talking About and applying it to everything in turn。 It reads like a long blog post with a curated comments section， because that's largely what it is。 You explore alongside Graeber， turning over definitions and typographies in real time。By contrast， Lost In Work is like watching a submerged structure emerge fully formed from a murky lake。 Every sentence， paragraph， section feels full; the end product of deep thinking that Horgan did before you arrived。 I've found myself considering snippets and lines that have explained the systems I see around me。 Where Bullshit Jobs felt like a conversation you'd be having at 3am with your one left wing coworker， Lost In Work feels like having your thoughts and ideas dusted off and placed neatly in order。I will definitely be looking at it again from time to time， which is big for me given how bad I am at reading。 。。。more

Tori ，

i’ve spent the last few weeks looking for work and i’m finally starting a job on monday， so this has been a really relevant and prescient read for me。 the question this book asks is ‘what’s wrong with work？’， which seems so vast and numinous a question that it’s a surprise that the book isn’t thousands of pages long， but what horgan offers in answer to that question is a succinct yet thorough exploration of work in 2021 and how leftists should feel about it。what i appreciated most about LOST IN i’ve spent the last few weeks looking for work and i’m finally starting a job on monday， so this has been a really relevant and prescient read for me。 the question this book asks is ‘what’s wrong with work？’， which seems so vast and numinous a question that it’s a surprise that the book isn’t thousands of pages long， but what horgan offers in answer to that question is a succinct yet thorough exploration of work in 2021 and how leftists should feel about it。what i appreciated most about LOST IN WORK is the breadth of focus that horgan has; she’s as likely to go back to marx， or even further by drawing on recent studies of the transition to capitalism from feudalism， as she is to discuss instagram influencers， remote working or workspace sharing arrangements。 this makes for an analysis that feels extremely relevant without being hot-button: the influence of covid-19 on the workplace， especially on who gets to work from home and who has to go in to work， is examined really thoroughly， and the climate emergency is a recurring touchstone for the actual state of the world and capitalism’s influence on it。 i also really enjoyed the final few chapters on what we can do as individuals， which are useful without veering into debatably marxist self-help。 i’ve followed horgan on twitter for a long time， so i knew already how clear and powerful her thought is， but what she’s achieved in this book is an indispensable intervention that speaks clearly to the rising discontent with work as it stands and takes crucial first steps towards allowing us all to imagine something better。 。。。more

Eric Vu ，

A short but intriguing read nonetheless。 Horgan really synthesize major thoughts about work under capitalism in an easy-to-understand way。 Like the others， I'd still be intrigued on how to 'escape capitalism'， but it's also a tall order to be made （if this was an individual self-help book - it doesn't try to be though。） A short but intriguing read nonetheless。 Horgan really synthesize major thoughts about work under capitalism in an easy-to-understand way。 Like the others， I'd still be intrigued on how to 'escape capitalism'， but it's also a tall order to be made （if this was an individual self-help book - it doesn't try to be though。） 。。。more

Lewis Isbell ，

Alice and her harp is what work should be

M Bramantyo ，

I will write the review with Indonesian language"Buku ini menjanjikan di awalnya。 Buku ini menguak mengenai segala bentuk ketimpangan di dunia kerja yang dibentuk di atas sebuah sistem yang bernama kapitalisme。 Contoh ketimpangan adalah banyak sektor industri yang underpaid， jam kerja yang panjang， terkadang jam kerja tidak jelas， dan ya itu semua memang terjadi dan masih terjadi。 Saya berpikir bahwa di akhir buku si penulis akan memberikan solusi untuk escape dari sistem capitalism yang dia ang I will write the review with Indonesian language"Buku ini menjanjikan di awalnya。 Buku ini menguak mengenai segala bentuk ketimpangan di dunia kerja yang dibentuk di atas sebuah sistem yang bernama kapitalisme。 Contoh ketimpangan adalah banyak sektor industri yang underpaid， jam kerja yang panjang， terkadang jam kerja tidak jelas， dan ya itu semua memang terjadi dan masih terjadi。 Saya berpikir bahwa di akhir buku si penulis akan memberikan solusi untuk escape dari sistem capitalism yang dia angkat di buku ini。 Namun solusi akhirnya terkesan buru-buru dan normatif， seperti menguatkan serikat pekerja dan berharap bahwa serikat pekerja bisa lebih kuat。 Ya， betul dan tidak ada yang salah sama sekali dengan itu。 Sehingga bagi saya buku ini menyajikan informasi seputar dunia kerja di bawah sistem kapitalisme sebagaimana yang disebut di buku ini。 Tidak kurang dan tidak lebih。" 。。。more

Siobhan ，

Lost in Work is a highly accessible look at the history of work， the current situation， and how we might escape what capitalism has told us is the only way to live。 Horgan explores what work is， how it has a history of harm， and what we might push for in the future to make 'work' much less damaging than it currently is。I'd heard a lot of hype around this book （from Twitter at least） and it lived up to the hype， being strangely gripping for a book about work that I was mostly reading around worki Lost in Work is a highly accessible look at the history of work， the current situation， and how we might escape what capitalism has told us is the only way to live。 Horgan explores what work is， how it has a history of harm， and what we might push for in the future to make 'work' much less damaging than it currently is。I'd heard a lot of hype around this book （from Twitter at least） and it lived up to the hype， being strangely gripping for a book about work that I was mostly reading around working from home （reading it whilst tired from work felt very fitting）。 The chapters are short and combine real world examples and theoretical points with analysis of sources like Marx， Britney Spears， and My Year of Rest and Relaxation。 I particularly liked this blending of material and the way they were all used to elicit points about work， about power relations， and who benefits from work。Another thing I liked about the book was the fact that the conclusion didn't try to give a single answer for what needs to happen to 'fix' work or change it （or， as Horgan says， 'denaturalise' work， making visible the fact that it is not natural and unchanging， but has resulted from historical conditions and power relations）， but offers up some of the potential suggestions and considers how a combined and collective approach may be more effective。 It's a good balance between the shrug emoji （or， as the book critiques， just blaming capitalism and acting like there's nothing to be done） and suggesting that there is one straightforward way forward。As well as a really interesting book engaging with theory and pop culture as it relates to work， Lost in Work is also a great opportunity to reflect on your own thoughts around work and what they've been influenced by， and also wider ideas about things like productivity。 Maybe that's just ironic as I'm choosing to review a book for fun， but still。 A thoughtful book with a well-judged tone。 。。。more

Ella ，

So well written， articulated and clearly expressed。 Very very good read and would recommend everyone to read it

Hannah ，

"。。。under capitalism， work takes something human and makes it into something monstrous。" "。。。under capitalism， work takes something human and makes it into something monstrous。" 。。。more

Daniel ，

Amelia HorganLost in Work: Escaping CapitalismPluto Press144 pages8。1

Egle ，

Absolutely brilliant！ This book articulated and explained many things I knew or suspected， and provided a wealth of new information and insights。 If you are dissatisfied with your job， but you cannot quite put your finger on it， read this book！ That said， this book should be read by everyone！

Emma ，

A clear and compelling look at the history and politics of work， 10/10 highly recommend

Hareem ，

Karl Marx would have loved this book。

Viola ，

Author Amelia Horgan interviewed July 2021 #TeenVogueTeen Vogue: Lost in Work opens with an exploration of how influencers and fast fashion conceal the reality of waged industrial labor and the supply chain。 How do we address the social and environmental impact this industry has？Amelia Horgan: While increasing demand for more sustainable options is not totally insignificant， the only way to really intervene and change what is sold and the conditions under which it is sold is through building and Author Amelia Horgan interviewed July 2021 #TeenVogueTeen Vogue: Lost in Work opens with an exploration of how influencers and fast fashion conceal the reality of waged industrial labor and the supply chain。 How do we address the social and environmental impact this industry has？Amelia Horgan: While increasing demand for more sustainable options is not totally insignificant， the only way to really intervene and change what is sold and the conditions under which it is sold is through building and deploying the power of workers in the supply chain。Nineteenth- and early 20th-century consumer campaigns about poor working conditions in the sweatshops of New York were eerily similar to today’s， including special labels for garments produced under better conditions。 They did little to address the actual conditions of production。 By contrast， workers in trade unions won a slew of victories through the International Ladies Garment Workers Union。Intervening in the conditions of production is something that trade unions have been able to do with a great deal of success， including reducing working hours， improving legal standards on health and safety， the weekend， and more。 Shaping what is produced as well as the conditions of its production is harder。 We don’t want to just produce the same kind of destructive and environmentally damaging things but under better conditions。 This is where something like a Green New Deal comes in。TV: In the book you describe all work under capitalism as inherently violent and dangerous， and therefore inherently a threat to our health。 How do the dynamics you mention in the book impact our mental well-being？AH: My own experiences of working in retail were just emotional exhaustion。 In the face of sexual harassment， unpleasantness， and just being asked the same questions all the time， you have to remain composed and customer-friendly。 What damage comes from the psychic onslaught of the customer always being right？ It’s much easier in situations where your job is pretty secure and you don’t feel the constant pressure to smooth over every single interaction with a customer。 It’s worse when your salary is tip-dependent。 The pandemic has made this worse as hospitality workers are made to police customers on mask regulations， for example。Work that requires emotional effort — managing your emotions to induce some emotional state in others — isn’t just something that happens in the service sector， though the combination of crap conditions and low pay can make it even more exhausting。 Teaching and other jobs that involve relational and emotional elements， like therapists， can involve emotional effort but often afford the worker more control over how they express their own emotions。 At the other end of the spectrum， call centers routinize the emotional effort of workers through the use of scripts。It’s not that we entirely lose our sense of selves through this process。 People are pretty good at splitting off their inner thoughts from a projected appearance （you can definitely see this in TikToks by service sector workers）， but it is often quite a tiring and demanding process， and that has really negative effects on workers。TV: You explain “new work” as something underpinned by the invisibilized labor of the supply chain， like warehouse workers， as well as the gig economy。 Can you expand on this idea a bit？AH: In some ways， new work isn’t all that different from old work — the background relations of power remain unchanged。 What is different is that demands for autonomy and creativity of work have been captured and folded back into exploitation。 If [mid-20th century] work was routine， hierarchical， mind-deadening， mechanical， and tied people to one task， sometimes even one movement， for the rest of their lives， the “new work” promised itself to be flexible， exciting， fast-paced， based on teamwork， and full of variety。Despite （or perhaps because of） this seemingly attractive flexibility， new work lacked a certain depth。 New work is flexible （this almost always confers advantage to their employer over the worker）， based around the management of emotions （both the worker’s emotions and the emotions of customers）， undertaken by allegedly decentralized “teams” over supply chains that extend across the global market。 Work has the appearance of informality; it is bound up with social relations and personal social capital， promising to be indistinct from sociability — offering friendship， or even family — in both good and bad jobs。 New work is very good at capturing something human and putting it to work。In the book， I give the example of the quote boards at station entrances。 A few years ago， workers in a London tube station decided， of their own accord， to write quotes on the service updates whiteboard in their ticket hall。 The quotes were a mixture of the sentimental， the humorous， the earnest， the capital-I-inspirational， and occasionally， the genuinely moving。 People took pictures of the board and shared them on social media。 This spontaneity is transformed into a central directive: Each station is [now] emailed the same quote ready for the next morning， [and] these are written on each whiteboard。TV: Your discussion of how algorithms change the dynamics of control in the workplace reminded me of the stories we’ve heard in the past year about students being surveilled while taking tests or doing homework remotely。 Do you think the surveillance culture in workplaces is creeping into education too？AH: The education system is a really useful training ground for the kind of surveillance technologies that employers are often interested in。 In education， these technologies can be used in a way that gives the appearance of helping students and pupils， making sure they’re “engaging” or getting the support they need。 In reality， these systems are often part of really violent and cruel parts of the education system， measuring and sorting children into deeply unequal outcomes and then giving those outcomes， typically the result of structural conditions， the appearance of the child’s free choice。TV: You describe the “jobification of everyday life，” something we’ve seen constantly with the optimizing of hobbies and side hustles during COVID。 You were also recovering from long COVID during the writing of the book。 I’m curious what you think about side-hustle culture， and where this fits into your vision of a worker-oriented society。AH: For some people， the response to developing a new hobby is to think， Okay， great， now how can I monetize this？ Some of this points to the fact that for many， a secure job that can reliably cover your living expenses is not guaranteed。As someone in Britain， I often find it quite shocking how on some U。S。-based meme page you’ll get a sudden announcement about the page owner having unexpected medical costs and needing to crowdfund。 For some people， running a successful meme page is presumably a better guarantee of getting health care than through work。 This isn’t to say that the health care system here is perfect， but it shows how work does not guarantee a minimum standard of decent living。Of course， sometimes this jobification is not really much to do with an individual’s financial situation and more a sort of entrepreneurial orientation towards the world。 I think people’s “side hustles” can give them a sense of fulfillment and autonomy that they don’t typically get in the workplace。 Hustle culture is very much a symptom of a deeply troubled society rather than its cause。The term also captures really different experiences and practices， and there’s something of a tendency to universalize from the experience of precarious young professional（ish）/creative workers who feel very strongly that they must be working on their personal brand。 But cultivating your “personal brand” or online reputation is a very different experience for an Uber driver， a nanny， or an Instacart worker。TV: In your book you also discuss the relationship between climate change and capitalism。 What are your thoughts on the Green New Deal or similar environmentally focused jobs and economic plans？AH: We desperately need transformative projects like Green New Deals。 But we can’t have a version of the Green New Deal that promotes some minor changes and does nothing to change underlying relationships of power and ownership。 Green New Deals must involve a just transition for workers in sectors that are environmentally harmful。 This means trade unions and workers must be involved in the development of Green New Deals。 Common Wealth， a U。K。-based think tank looking at ownership， has looked at how to green the steel sector as part of a green industrial strategy that would retain good quality unionized work。TV: After making it clear that work dissociates us from ourselves， you conclude the book with a refreshing solution: a call to “denaturalize” work。 Where do you see the seeds of that work being planted？AH: Radicalizing demands for control over time is something I think is really important。 Things like a reduced working week （with no reduction in pay）， the right to switch off from work emails and calls， the right to a paid commute， and more worker control over scheduling。 In Britain， 37% of all workers， according to the Living Wage Foundation， are given less than a week’s notice of shift patterns by their employer。 You can’t plan your life like that — it’s not living。 Your time is not your own。 Demands over more and better quality time away from work， time that can’t be interrupted by your employer calling you to come in， are going to only increase as work becomes something that happens less in one fixed place。I spoke to Rohan Kon， an organizer with Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise， who makes the case for avoiding false distinctions between the workplace and wider community。 Because when we do so， “we artificially compartmentalize our lives and limit our organizing solutions to issues， from pay and hours to housing and public services。” In place of this， we need “a community of low-wage workers， fighting alongside our families， friends and neighbors， [a] powerful force to win huge gains for the working class。”Protect yourself from @wagetheft join a Union eg IWW Industrial 🏭 Workers of the World 🌎 Source:https://www。teenvogue。com/story/escap。。。 。。。more

Penney Hames ，

I loved this book。 I opened it with no clear conceptual framework of capitalism or work and closed it with a dawning outrage at the way that the one structures and limits the other to the detriment of the people who do the work。In short， punchy， chapters Horgan makes clear how a narrative which starts from exchange and barter ends with the modern-day encroachment of work on our very identities not just at work， but also at leisure too。 The more precarious and low-paid the work the more workers a I loved this book。 I opened it with no clear conceptual framework of capitalism or work and closed it with a dawning outrage at the way that the one structures and limits the other to the detriment of the people who do the work。In short， punchy， chapters Horgan makes clear how a narrative which starts from exchange and barter ends with the modern-day encroachment of work on our very identities not just at work， but also at leisure too。 The more precarious and low-paid the work the more workers are required to give。 Every worker gives their time in exchange for a wage。 But increasingly， capitalist work demands that workers think the right way， act the right way and even look as though they feel the right way about their work。 The price for not doing this is unemployment。 But， here’s the rub， workers don’t define and agree what that right way is – that part is determined by those who extract the profit。 The loss of control is almost significant and crippling。In my day job as a therapist， I often meet people who are busy being the person they feel they ought to be， rather than being who they are。 It’s exhausting - never being you， always being the person that you think others require you to be – and it’s hard work。 And the cost of this work is mental illness， misery and psychological alienation。 It feels as though there is a parallel here。 In the introduction Horgan writes about the conditions under which this book took shape – the pandemic and her own long covid。 It is not， she says， the book that she might have written， without that exhaustion and mental fogginess。 Is there a sad irony here？ A first-class mind is perhaps the most intimate， most personal tool of an academic’s trade， and yet， because academia exists within a capitalist economy， where the need for commerce – even the commerce of the university – to continue when it is not safe to do so， that very tool becomes expendable。 When capitalist work takes your very mind it is time to re-think what we are about？ 。。。more

RJRobinson ，

This is a very good book。 As an introduction to work it’s clear and concise yet manages to cover a huge amount of ground in 166 pages。 It’s well sourced with a mass of up-to-date references to hard data， and I read the whole thing in just a few hours， even though I’m a very slow reader。 If you’re at all interested in the world of work， buy a copy。In slightly more detail…•tThe book begins by outlining and then challenging the comfortable notion that most people are likely to find work rewarding， This is a very good book。 As an introduction to work it’s clear and concise yet manages to cover a huge amount of ground in 166 pages。 It’s well sourced with a mass of up-to-date references to hard data， and I read the whole thing in just a few hours， even though I’m a very slow reader。 If you’re at all interested in the world of work， buy a copy。In slightly more detail…•tThe book begins by outlining and then challenging the comfortable notion that most people are likely to find work rewarding， financially or psychologically。 Based on the way work has changed over the last few decades – with the rise in ‘precarity’， real falls in wages and so on， and the increasing intrusion of ‘the boss’ into weekends and one’s private life generally – the author makes a robust case for the opposite conclusion。 •tEarly on， Horgan makes the case for rethinking ‘work’ in crucial ways。 Currently， work is usually equated with paid employment， But none of this work would be possible without the unpaid labour （usually of women） in the home and other unpaid settings。 This is certainly work in any general sense of the word， so should it not be paid？ Or organised collectively， like ‘real’ work？ Horgan rises a number of issues and alternatives here， and shows that it is quite impossible how even paid employment is possible without also understanding this so-called ‘reproductive’ labour。•tHorgan also analyses ‘emotional labour’ – the kind of work where we are expected to put on our best smile and never let the customer know how we really feel – even if we feel insulted by their rudeness， or sick and tired of the work itself。 Such relentless pretence and obscuring of our real feelings is absolutely the norm for millions of employees， from call centres to shop assistants to an increasing range of other jobs。 The relentless and disingenuousness of this existence， Horgan shows， is profoundly damaging to workers。 •tNor is work decently organised。 A lot is driven by false incentives， leading to a mass of effort being squandered in the name of misguided and counterproductive metrics， all driven by the increasing concentration and centralisation of control。 All too often， work is badly conceived and badly managed， but the worker has no control over their own work， and so is unable to escape from the resulting mess。 •tOn the other hand， work is very well organised to strip all control from the hands of the individuals who actually do it。 All decisions about work， from what we will do to how to do it （often in excruciating detail）， is put in the hands of management bent solely to maximising the productivity and profit they can extract。 •tOn the other hand， one’s employment status has become the single most important indicator of the individual’s social status。 So if you don’t have a job， you are increasingly nobody。 •tFinally， Horgan outlines the principle ways workers can resist a lifetime of such profoundly unsatisfying and rapacious work。 After useful thoughts about trades unions and politics in general， she argues that working people’s ultimate aim must be not just to make work tolerable but to fundamentally transform it into what it should always have been， namely the way we – collectively， democratically and with profound satisfaction – recreate the world。 There were a few areas I would have liked to see included， though it is perfectly understandable why they don’t show up in an introductory text。 •tFirstly， Horgan mentions that all work is in fact exploitative – even when entered into voluntarily， the employment contract is anything but fair。 I would like to see an analysis of why this is so， and why the illusion of fair exchange of my labour-power for an agreed wage is， in fact， an illusion。 •tSecondly， Horgan mentions the important concept of alienation。 As I have always found this to be one of the most profound and effective concepts in social analysis， I would like to have seen a longer account of exactly what this word means and how alienation operates in the modern workplace。 •tThirdly， there are a few areas in modern employment where a radically different approach to employment is emerging。 In particular， the ‘Agile’ movement is rapidly converting all sorts of workplaces to what is essentially a form of anarchism。 Given how flatly Agile appears to contradict some of the fundamentals of capitalist labour， I would very much like to know what Horgan makes of this trend， what its potential is and what its long-term consequences are likely to be。But again， this is an introduction， not a general textbook。 In the meantime， I can only advise the reader to buy this book。 。。。more

Romany ，

Pithy！ Gets to the heart of the problems of work under capitalism。 The chapters were short， direct and had a clear focus with great references。 Read this if you want to understand why you’re crying on the train surrounded by commuters at rush hour。

Valentin ，

3。5/5 rounded up。 Horgan's work is concise， well-written and culturally relevant。 These three attributes make it a perfect introductory recommendation for those who are just beginning to realise how shit the world is （similar in that respect to Mark Fisher's 'Capitalist Realism'）。 The book touches upon an impressive range of thought for its length。 I appreciated the way essential Marxist concepts were broken down and made intelligible in a modern-day context。 Horgan traces the history of garment 3。5/5 rounded up。 Horgan's work is concise， well-written and culturally relevant。 These three attributes make it a perfect introductory recommendation for those who are just beginning to realise how shit the world is （similar in that respect to Mark Fisher's 'Capitalist Realism'）。 The book touches upon an impressive range of thought for its length。 I appreciated the way essential Marxist concepts were broken down and made intelligible in a modern-day context。 Horgan traces the history of garment production and links the class conflict and exploitation of days gone by to the current struggles of workers within fast-fashion supply chains。 Feminist theory is also woven in throughout the text， with some excellent discussion of the intersectional tangles that arise in 'global care chains' and historical struggles over the allocation of reproductive labour。I dock a couple of points in this review due to a couple of the book's limitations。 I thought the discussion of environmentally destructive work to be a bit lacking。 This could have been linked to Horgan's discussion of the Lucas Plan and the way worker knowledge can be redirected away from military technologies and towards socially useful green tech。 Another interesting in-route in this respect would be the oil industry， a discussion of which could have tied together many of the themes Horgan explores while still being focused on environmental labour。 This could include the distribution of risk and status in oil work （i。e。 offshore/onshore labour）， the clear environmental ramifications and misdirection of human ingenuity it implies， and the social consequences of 'oil culture' （i。e。 the rise of socially segregated international schools for oil expats， the very distinction between 'expat' and 'migrant' playing into discussions of skilled and unskilled labour。。。。。 etc。）。 Of course， no book can cover every topic， it just seemed like the segment on 'nature's work' could use some development。As another reviewer has noted， some more on 'escaping capitalism' itself could have been included。 Horgan mentions worker's co-ops and Job Guarantee plans， though a little more on these topics could have been interesting。Still， the book provides more than enough content for someone out there to have their radical awakening and be prompted to further investigate hooks that caught them while reading。 For that I have to give Horgan a lot of praise - we need more accessible and engaging left theory。 。。。more

Bruh ，

great book for lazy people who can't be bothered working， and instead want to complain about the system great book for lazy people who can't be bothered working， and instead want to complain about the system 。。。more

Max ，

There’s so much ground covered in this short book。 Amelia Horgan has a knack for creating threads between everything from pop culture to academic theory in a way which is accessible yet intricate， and fun despite the depressing injustices discussed。 Karl Marx may have had gothic metaphors， but he didn’t have an analysis of Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch”。Lost in Work is full of fascinating insights and left me with food for thought and a dozen topics I’d like to explore further。 I’ll be discussing There’s so much ground covered in this short book。 Amelia Horgan has a knack for creating threads between everything from pop culture to academic theory in a way which is accessible yet intricate， and fun despite the depressing injustices discussed。 Karl Marx may have had gothic metaphors， but he didn’t have an analysis of Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch”。Lost in Work is full of fascinating insights and left me with food for thought and a dozen topics I’d like to explore further。 I’ll be discussing and revisiting it for a long time。 。。。more

EunSeong ，

This was a well-written， accessible and articulate overview of the problems of work under capitalism。 For a serious topic， it was a fun and engaging read。

E ，

4。5 stars rounded up！This book was so well written and accessible - I studied politics and have read Marxist texts but this book explained a lot to me in simple terms that I definitely had a vague grasp on but would have struggled to articulate before。 It was digestible and easy to read but also interesting - I particularly liked the framing of the chapter on climate crisis and also thinking through what work actually is。 I also learnt about some interesting things in the chapter on unions e。g。 4。5 stars rounded up！This book was so well written and accessible - I studied politics and have read Marxist texts but this book explained a lot to me in simple terms that I definitely had a vague grasp on but would have struggled to articulate before。 It was digestible and easy to read but also interesting - I particularly liked the framing of the chapter on climate crisis and also thinking through what work actually is。 I also learnt about some interesting things in the chapter on unions e。g。 the Lucas plan that I hadn't encountered before。The only thing I'd like to have seen more of is the 'escaping capitalism' aspect。 This perhaps was just that I had slightly misplaced expectations for the book but I would have liked a longer and fuller explanation of potential alternatives because I think this is something that I often struggle with in conversations with others。 I have been a long term critic of work （lol） but in the face of capitalist realism find it difficult to articulate alternatives that can get through to others and thought that this book might help more with that but I think that was perhaps not the author's intention with this book （maybe the author could do a sequel/companion？！）。Overall， this book provides a sorely needed alternative to discussion on work which I often think amounts to either （often dry/inaccessible） academic theory about work or leftist memes。 This book is great especially if you want an overview of lots of different aspects of thinking on work which will enable you to go on to do further reading。 I am excited to read more from this writer。 。。。more

Sarah Jaffe ，

So good。 A good intro to the problems of work under capitalism but even as big a labor nerd as I am， I learned plenty。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0