A Working Stiff's Manifesto (2002)

As a former busboy/messenger/retail clerk/data processor/pizza delivery guy, it's easy for me to appreciate fellow tales of working-man woes, and Levison has accumulated woes aplenty. In this workplace retrospective, the author chronicles experiences from many of his 42 jobs, including shifts as a bartender, fish cutter, cable thief, mover...well, just about everything under the sun (and moon). There's no grand rumination on the meaning of life, or anything, here—but then again, that's in keeping with the actual transient nature of the subject matter; Levison takes these jobs precisely because he dreads looking at the bigger, long-term picture. The work in question may be deadly boring, but the author's slacker ethos and deadpan delivery make reading Manifesto a job well worth taking. B+