Work Won't Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe Summary
Overview of Work Won't Love You Back
Sarah Jaffe dismantles the "do what you love" myth, revealing how passion-driven work enables exploitation. Praised by Naomi Klein as "illuminating," this timely manifesto asks: Why should we sacrifice ourselves for jobs that won't love us back?
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Key takeaways
The Labor of Love Myth: A Modern Deception
"Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." This seductive promise has become gospel in our hustle culture, but it's a relatively new and dangerous idea. For most of human history, work was something to be avoided-the wealthy had others do it for them. Only in recent decades have we been aggressively sold the "labor of love" myth while simultaneously working longer hours for less security. Even billionaire CEOs now perform workaholism, with figures like Elon Musk bragging about 80-hour workweeks and sleeping on factory floors. This shift represents a profound reversal from early labor movements, which fought primarily for less work-shorter hours, weekends off, and restrictions on child labor. The strike itself was fundamentally a refusal of work. The mid-20th century's "golden age" of American labor saw the rise of the middle class through home ownership, pensions, and healthcare coverage. But when economic crisis hit in the 1970s, this arrangement collapsed as businesses began squeezing workers harder-closing factories in high-wage countries, increasing hours, eliminating overtime pay, and reducing real wages while productivity continued to rise. What emerged was neoliberalism-a political project redefining freedom as freedom from interference rather than freedom to thrive. It systematically crushed unions, privatized public services, and promoted Margaret Thatcher's infamous assertion that "there is no alternative." Most insidiously, it convinced us that our economic situation results solely from personal choices rather than systemic conditions.
When Work Becomes Identity and Family
The Original Labor of Love: Women's Unpaid Work
The Exploitation of Emotional Labor
The Hope Economy: Internships and Artistic Labor
Reclaiming Our Lives from Work
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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