Hands at Work


Book Description

HANDS AT WORK: Portraits and Profiles of People Who Work with Their Hands portrays, through stories and black-and-white photographs, forty-two people who are passionate about laboring with their hands. Through biography, geography, and technical description, author Iris Graville weaves vivid narratives of a boat-builder, potter, physical therapist, painter, baker, midwife, chef, sign language interpreter, blacksmith, and others as they describe how and why they do what they do. They talk of living in their hands and needing to get them dirty, cold, or wet. For them, the materials they use are alive and responsive; through their hands, they learn things they didn't know and are connected to different times, places, and people.Much of the story of these individuals and their work is portrayed in Summer Moon Scriver's striking photographs of their hands, tools, materials, and work spaces. The images convey a passion for work that has become rare for many Americans and suggest that these people are not only willing to labor with their hands but are also nourished by that labor. Stories and photographs combined produce a rich tapestry that will kindle readers' inspiration and provide insight into their own endeavors.




The Case for Working with Your Hands


Book Description

Why do some jobs offer fulfilment while others leave us frustrated? Why do we so often think of our working selves as separate from our 'true' selves? Over the course of the twentieth century, we have separated mental work from manual labour, replacing the workshop with either the office cubicle or the factory line. In this inspiring and persuasive book, Matthew Crawford explores the dangers of this false distinction and presents instead the case for working with your hands. He brings to life the immense psychological and intellectual satisfactions of making and fixing things, explores the moral benefits of a technical education and, at a time when jobs are increasingly being outsourced over the internet, argues that the skilled manual trades may be one of the few sure paths to a good living. Drawing on the work of our greatest thinkers, from Aristotle to Heidegger, from Karl Marx to Iris Murdoch, as well as on his own experiences as an electrician and motorcycle mechanic, Crawford delivers a radical, timely and extremely enjoyable re-evaluation of our attitudes to work.




Shop Class as Soulcraft


Book Description

A philosopher/mechanic's wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one's hands “This is a deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real, hands-on knowledge. The book is also quirky, surprising, and sometimes quite moving.” —Richard Sennett, author of The Craftsman Called “the sleeper hit of the publishing season” by The Boston Globe, Shop Class as Soulcraft became an instant bestseller, attracting readers with its radical (and timely) reappraisal of the merits of skilled manual labor. On both economic and psychological grounds, author Matthew B. Crawford questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a “knowledge worker,” based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing. Using his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford presents a wonderfully articulated call for self-reliance and a moving reflection on how we can live concretely in an ever more abstract world.




Hands


Book Description

In linking forms of cultural expression to labour, occupational injuries and deaths, this title centres what is usualyy decentred - the complex culture of working class people.




Hands of the Maya


Book Description

Photographs and simple text describe what daily life is like for Maya villagers, showing how they prepare meals, weave clothing, make roofs, and create art and music.




The Work of Hands


Book Description




Steady Hands


Book Description

In this collection of free-verse poems, inspired by Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer celebrates workers and the doing of work. The poems are short and direct, with strong, fresh images, and readers can easily imagine themselves in the roles she portrays: welder, librarian, surgeon, retail clerk, camp counselor. The illustrations are as original as the text---amazing multilayered collages made of paper, found objects, ephemera, photographs, dried flowers, and archival images. Steady Hands is sure to inspire discussion, creative writing, art projects, and new answers to the old question: What do you want to do when you grow up?




Job Safety & Health


Book Description




Minds at Work


Book Description

The only sustainable advantage in our hypercompetitive marketplace is the ability to learn and adapt faster than everyone else. Companies that cling to management practices of a bygone era continue to fade away. They desperately need managers who empower people to seek out learning at a moment’s notice. Minds at Work can help you be that manager. This book captures the role managers play in the knowledge economy—where uninhibited, on-demand learning inspires employees to achieve higher levels of performance. Authors David Grebow and Stephen J. Gill describe how managers can move from a traditional “command and control” position to become advocates of communication and collaboration. They share what happens when managers help their direct reports grow as people and use technology to pull the learning they need when they need it. Minds at Work illustrates this shift to a learning community with success stories from forward-looking companies. With this better way to manage, these companies have unearthed those “aha!” moments as the dots connect after continuous problem solving, trial and error, and innovation. Each has redefined norms, made knowledge sharing flat, and created a workplace culture built to last. Use this book to embrace learning anytime, anywhere. Nurture the minds at work, and you’ll win the hearts of your organization.