MADreads

Nice work if you can get it

May 23rd, 2008 Robin - Pinney

When Gig arrived on hold for me, I thought, “Ewwwww.”  It has a simple black-and-white cover and, well, it’s thick.  I lugged it home, though, and dutifully commenced.  Happily, Gig had me at “Wal-Mart Greeter.”

The editors of word.com dispatched interviewers to the ends of the country to discover how people really felt about their jobs.  The resultant narratives are neatly categorized into fourteen chapters, and individual tales are just a few pages long.  Job categories run the gamut from Sports and Gambling to Bodies and Souls.  It’s perfect for willy-nilly perusal yet quite engrossing as a straight read.

I found almost all of the giggers likable, not only the Wal-Mart Greeter, but also the Transvestite Prostitute and Heavy Metal Roadie.  Many of these folks have great senses of humor and speak very compellingly about their jobs and their reasons for having them.  The bookie’s argument against using thugs for collection fascinated me. 

One of the many narratives that stuck with me was an interview with Chris and Iasaac Mauro (Lemonade Salesmen).  When explaining that they ask people to pay only what they feel like for lemonade, they revealed the dark underbelly of lemonade salesmanship:

C: Remember the one who gave me a penny, and he wanted the full glass?

I: Yeah.  We just give those people a lotta ice.

[Laughter]

I: A penny, you know?  That’s — sometimes you get that when you say you pick the price.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction