Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism(Outspoken by Pluto)

***Evening Standard's best non-fiction 2021*** 'A brilliant, searing exposé of the lies underpinning work' - Owen Jones 'Work hard, get paid.' It's simple. Self-evident. But it's also a lie—at least for most of us. For people today, the old assumptions are crumbling; hard work in school no longer guarantees a secure, well-paying job in the future. Far from a gateway to riches and fulfilment, 'work' means precarity, anxiety and alienation. Amelia Horgan poses three big questions: what is work? How does it harm us? And what can we do about it? While abolishing work altogether is not the answer, Lost in Work shows that when we are able to take control of our workplaces, we become less miserable, and can work towards the transformative goal of experimenting with 'work' as we know it.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction: Work’s fantasy 1. Work, capitalism and capitalist work 2. Contesting ‘work’ 3. The paradox of new work 4. What does work do to us as individuals? 5. Jobification nation: When play is serious business 6. What does work do to society? 7. Phantoms and slackers: Resistance at work 8. Getting together: Organised labour and the workers’ dream 9. Time off: Resistance to work Conclusion: Getting to work

About the Author :
Amelia Horgan is a writer and researcher. She has written for various publications including Tribune, the Guardian and VICE.

Review :
'A brilliant, searing exposé of the lies underpinning work' 'Fascinating and absorbing ... a corrective to the widespread view that anyone can find fulfilment through their job, if they just work hard enough' ‘Amelia Horgan is, in the words of organizer Fred Ross, a social arsonist. Her book will set your world on fire. Somewhere in our bones, we know that work is getting worse. But with this book, Horgan has provided the match and the kindling we need to burn the whole thing down’ 'At last, a book that helps us appreciate the long history of the working class challenge to the tyranny of work that puts class struggle in the workplace firmly back on the agenda' 'An excellent and important book. It combines sharp political insight with nuanced analyses ... an invaluable resource to those with an interest not just in better understanding labour and exploitation, but also in the possibilities of freedom and collective joy' 'I can't think of a more succinct and elegant expression of what work does to us and, in turn, why it's never been more urgent to shape our work' 'An incisive analysis of the contemporary crisis of work - and a ringing call to reimagine it' ‘Vivid … her humour and anger is quite a tonic’ 'A sharp polemic ... Horgan’s insights will appeal to anyone who has ever done a job they hated' ‘Brilliant … I really can’t recommend it enough’ ‘A succinct outline of how work has become our entire existence … Lost in Work’s rally against the working world resonates to our very cores’ ‘A concise book that convincingly challenges assumptions about working many would have considered unshakeable’ 'Incisive ... a theory-rich but accessible entry point for young people to examine exactly how work is failing us.' ‘Timely’ ‘This book incisively dissects what counts for received wisdom about work … Horgan has applied Marxist theory to everyday life with alacrity. In so doing, she has armed her readers to fight back’ ‘Smartly defines the present moment in labour politics’ ‘An anti-capitalist manifesto … Lost in Work, at its most powerful, shakes up our sense of what is politically imaginable’ ‘A perceptive philosophical account of what work is, what it does to us, and how we can reorganise it’ ‘I really recommend this book … [Lost in Work] provides a really progressive discussion on how we should talk and think about work, and how and why our current capitalist system is cheating us’ ‘A systematic takedown of the untenable conditions of what it is like to work now’ ‘A call to action ... Horgan has applied Marxist theory to everyday life with alacrity. In so doing, she has armed her readers to fight back’