The Mind at Work Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker

In the tradition of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimedand Studs Terkel’s Working, The Mind at Workis an illuminating reassessment of American labor. Testimonials to physical work have always celebrated the dignity, the economic and moral value, even the nobility of blue-collar labor, but rarely the thought required to get the job done right. The lightning-fast organization and mental calculations of the waitress; the complex spatial mathematics of the carpenter; the aesthetic and intellectual dexterity of the hair stylist—our failure to acknowledge or respect these qualities has undermined a large portion of America’s working population. In The Mind at Workaward-winning writer Mike Rose sets the record straight by taking a long hard look at the intellectual demands of common work.Integrating personal stories of his own working-class family with interviews, vivid snapshots of people on the job, and current research in social science and cognitive psychology, Rose draws a brilliantly original portrait of America at work. As he probes the countless decisions, computations, and subtle judgments made every day by welders and plumbers, waitresses and electricians, Rose redefines the nature of important work and overturns the hand/brain” dichotomy that blinds us to the real contributions of working people.

Mike Rose, a member of the faculty of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, has written a number of books and articles on language and literacy, including Lives on the Boundary: The Struggles and Achievements of America-'s Underprepared.

In 1997 his book Possible Lives won the prestigious Gawemeyer Award in Education and the Common-wealth Club of California Award for Literary Excellence in Nonfiction.