Dear Great Book Guru,
I was at an event at the Sea Cliff Arts Council recently: Fred
Stroppel’s iconic “Twisted Shorts” - eight extraordinarily funny vignettes -
when one of the cast members mentioned a wonderful new book about a team of
workers at a big box store. It sounded
interesting - thoughts? Fan of “Twisted
Shorts”
Dear Fan of “Twisted Shorts,” Adelle Waldman’s HELP WANTED
is not to be missed! Set in upstate New
York, the novel introduces us to twelve people working in a huge box store
-think Target or Costco - most of whom are members of Team Movement. These
workers clock in at 3:55am to unload
the delivery trucks, stock the shelves, organize the merchandise before the
store opens, and check out at 9am. The
work is grueling and their pay low. Hours are limited by management so there
are no health benefits, vacation or sick time, but jobs in this part of the
state are scarce and most of the workers have few qualifications for better
jobs. Waldman describes the lives of
these workers in exquisite detail, and we feel great sympathy as we learn about
their individual plights. When the store manager Big Will is promoted to
another facility, everyone realizes there is a possible chance for advancement
or at least some realignment. The Team
comes together in an elaborate plot to sabotage their hated self-absorbed crew
leader Meredith, and we cheer them on.
While there is much humor throughout, we witness the underlying
injustices low- wage workers encounter in the modern workplace. A thought-provoking book on many levels and
highly recommended!
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