Working

Studs Terkel, an oral historian and radio broadcaster, collects more than a hundred interviews in which Americans describe their jobs and how they feel about them. The speakers range from a gravedigger and a piano tuner to a policeman, a waitress, a parking valet and a studio head. After the opening matter, the material falls into nine sections grouped under themes such as Working the Land, which gathers farm workers, miners and newspaper delivery boys. Throughout, Terkel draws out both the daily grind and the meaning people find in what they do. The book was a National Book Award finalist and later became a stage musical whose book was written by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso.

It appears on a list of every book Barack Obama recommended during his presidency.