Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work

Crawford's book brings across a similar message to Pirsig's  Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values  - namely of the value of craft type work, and the intelligence required to go into it. In effect it is a renewed rallying call to devote more thought to one's career than the blind obeisance to college and office work that seems to be the prevalent mode today.There is certainly a lot to be said for skilled craft work and the practitioners - the good ones, at least - can definitely boast of just as materially rich lives as white collar workers, and often have much more intrinsic satisfaction.The author does an excellent job to bring the pleasures of skilled physical work across, based primarily on his own experience (with some literary refferences thrown in for good measure). Where he falls somewhat short is in his description of white collar, office work - it seems that his own experience prepared him poorly to adequately describe and judge it. In the main points he is of course right but you will get a much better examination of both Taylorist management methods, as well as problems of white collar jobs in something like Matthew's  The Management Myth: Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong .At the end of the day the message transmitted is similar to Pirsig's, and whether you prefer this book or the Zen original will probably depend on your age, and exposure to / liking of philosophy. Both use it copiously but Pirsig seems to rely on it more heavily, and he tells the whole (based on his real life, of course) more through a story - a road trip - rather than in the completely non-fictionalised account of Crawford.  Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values  also uses more complicated language and requires more concentration from the reader.Overall definitely a book worth reading to give you an added perspective, just do not expect a nation of motorcycle repair shop mechanics to be the cure to the current economic woes - even if it may well provide the solution to a disgruntled individual office worker.

This book is well worth the effort needed to read it. It is not a lightweight holiday read... Early on the book is a little heavy but develops well and puts into perspective our industrial development. It shows how Henry Ford destroyed craftsmanship by separating thinking from doing; how his engineering of the production process was balanced by the engineering of consumption and easy credit to enslave workers to a life of unsatisfying work. Wind forward in time and see how the same creeping separation of thinking from doing is undermining the professional occupations, where graduates find themselves doing unsatisfying work in modern production-line offices. Individual flair, decisiveness and accountability is undermined by endless meetings where everyone is responsible and no one is responsible. Crawford points out the disconnects between modern life and the real world and shows how and why people can regain some meaning in their lives by working with their hands. If you want to read something that will make you think and re-evaluate how you spend your working life... Do yourself a favour, get yourself a copy, read it and think about the messages it contains. Who was it that said "The unexamined life is not worth living"?Incidentally, the book has nudged me into making a decision to change my job... by pursuing an aspect of my of my profession as a mechanical engineer which I have in the past enjoyed for its creativity. Need I say more..?

If you would like to see a strong, still developing , craft department in English schools (Do pupils want them?) This is an interesting read . There are a few theoretical discussions and you will have to interpret them into English from American.

This may be one of the most important books I've read this year (and the perfect complement to Zen & The Art Of Motorbike Maintenance.) The author is both a philosopher and a mechanic and manages to merge together the two very different disciplines. It's a book about work - why we do it, how we derive meaning from it, the contrast between mental and manual work, and the psychological value of getting your hands dirty.Crawford points out that manual work has been unnecessarily labeled as inferior, or as the domain of unintelligent people. His argument is that working with your hands and seeing a physical manifestation of your efforts, can be truly fulfilling. His perspective is fascinating. I read this book feverishly, scribbling notes all over the margins as I went. Also, I recommend reading the notes section at the end (it is full of interesting tidbits and suggestions for further reading.)

The original essay was great but I found the book to be a little long winded.

Wonderful book. Some elements require rereading but that's not a negative, the ideas are worth reading twice for true understanding. One of the few books I know I'll read again and soon.

This is the same book as "The Case for Working with Your Hands: or Why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good" - so don't buy the same book twice like I did.

A good read