Selling Ben Cheever: Back to Square One in a Service Economy

How did I get behind the stainless steel counter of the Cosi Sandwich Bar at Forty-fourth and Third in New York City? Writing a book about jobs. When journalist and novelist Benjamin Cheever decided to write a book about menial work, he did his research properly. For the next few years, he took any entry-level job he could get, working in a car showroom, bookshop, and sandwich bar, as a food taster in a focus group, a security guard and (best of all) a spook in Halloween Town. Struggling with the intricacies of each job, Cheever mastered new skills- making a quick sandwich during rushed lunch hours, not being too enthusiastic with browsers at the bookshop, and selling himself to customers in a car showroom. Work is the funny, perceptive account of his experiences. Candid and intelligent, it vividly brings alive our everyday world.