99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life

“Hard work has never been the single galvanic force with which the hand of destiny has lifted up the deserving,” according to this pointed treatise. Chandler (Drive-Thru Dreams) recounts how despite possessing a rigorous work ethic, nearly half of the Mayflower Puritans died within a few months of arriving in America. Elsewhere, Chandler discusses how George Washington’s and Thomas Jefferson’s reliance on slave labor upends notions of the founding fathers as “self-made,” and how Thomas Edison’s penchant for pilfering ideas from rivals undermines his reputation as a singular genius. Contending that venerating overwork makes “our communities wobbly, our faith weak, [and] our lives lonely,” Chandler suggests that long hours in the office mean less time for building personal relationships, resulting in alienation that politicians exploit for their own benefit. The history deflates myths of American meritocracy, and stories of ordinary individuals drive home the ill consequences of believing that anyone can succeed if they try hard enough, as when Chandler discusses the exasperation North Carolina mother of two Nakitta Long felt after paying her way through a master’s degree in criminal justice only to struggle to secure a well-paying job in any line of work. The result is an eye-opening complement to Alissa Quart’s Bootstrapped. Agent: Sarah Levitt, Aevitas Creative Management. (Jan.)