Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Hilarious and painful...reminiscent of my days working a series of flunky jobs, before settling on one for 35 years." Harvey Pekar, author of American Splendor
Review
"Ayun Halliday is the consummate dilettante, dissecting her checkered career with razor wit and a discerning eye." Mike Daisey, author of 21 Dog Years: A Cube Dweller's Tale
Review
"A truly hilarious lesson in gratitude." Ana Gasteyer, Actress
Review
"Artsy men and women trapped in dead-end jobs, take heart: Halliday admits bad bosses are all over, but life in the trenches in worthwhile with an iron-clad sense of humor." New York Post
Review
"Halliday's writing is spunky and honest and hysterical." Bookslut
Synopsis
If it's true that the average worker will hold an average of seven jobs over the course of a lifetime, Ayun Halliday is anything but average. In her brief thirty-something years, Halliday has managed to rack up an impressive array of short lived stints in the paid job market, including life guard, library attendant, costume designer, actress, waitress, artist's model, professional temp, rental stylist, substitute teacher, party counselor, massage therapist, costumed mascot, and mime, to name a few. In this uproarious collection of essays, Halliday displays a work ethic all employers can admire: wearing a leg brace to work after calling in "sick," quitting the same day she starts by claiming her step-brother had been in a bike accident, and faking "vocal nodes" to avoid telemarketing calls. Along the way, she befriends colleagues and bosses who ignore her falling asleep, stealing food and clothing, and feigning skills she does not possess, and gains the respect of her customers for sheer honesty, which includes detailing her feminine hygiene problems and setting male clients straight on her brand of massage: "I'm sorry, I cannot facilitate a sexual release for you!"
About the Author
Ayun Halliday is the author of No Touch Monkey! and The Big Rumpuz, and creator and publisher of the award-winning zine East Village Inky. Halliday is a columnist for Bust magazine, a frequent contributor to NPR, and her essays have appeared have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Ayun Halliday on PowellsBooks.Blog
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