50 Jobs Worse Than Yours

Guaranteed to make you grateful for the job you have and thankful for the one you don't. From Saddam Hussein Double to Telemarketing Script Writer to the guy who operates the "It's a Small World After All" ride, satirist Justin Racz has spanned the globe to find fifty jobs worse than yours, so we can all feel better about our own. Featuring fifty color photos of the awful, the pitiful, the hysterical jobs out there, and all their undesirable employment details, Fifty Jobs Worse Than Yours is the perfect gift for anyone stuck in a nine-to-five grind who needs to remember why it could be a whole, whole lot worse.

The author of 50 Jobs Worse Than Yours is back with fifty relatives so bad they might make you actually look forward to your next Thanksgiving. They’re kooky, they’re crazy—50 Relatives Worse Than Yours is a nightmarish family reunion that will have you appreciating your own weird clan. There’s the Family Newsletter Publisher who keeps you updated on how Uncle Carl’s hip is doing; there’s Holistic New Age Aunt, who knows Madonna from Kabbalah class but refuses to introduce you because that would be bad karma; and there’s Child Who Was in a National TV Commercial, who has more money than you do. And then there’s Uncle Speedo, the Monopoly Bank Thief, and Your Son, the Tenant. Filled with hilarious photographs and bullet points listing all their horrible characteristics, 50 Relatives Worse Than Yours is the perfect gift for anyone who’s embarrassed by some members of their family, which let’s just admit it is about everyone. And who knows, you might even recognize a relative or two…

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

Satirist Justin Racz, author of the wildly successful 50 Jobs Worse Than Yours, returns to the world of cubicles, water coolers, and boardrooms-this time targeting the workingman's ultimate nemesis: his boss. From the bullies to the bureaucrats to the bunglers, bosses are as unavoidable as they are insufferable. Thankfully, 50 Bosses Worse Than Yours is here to remind us that no matter how bad we think we have it, there are worse people to be taking orders from. Including entries such as "Condescending Rita," "Enforced After-Work Drinks Proposer," "Ten Years Younger Than You and Makes Double Your Salary," and the original bad boss, "Your Dad," this book presents the most unbearable, cruel-intentioned, and mind-bogglingly incompetent employers ever to pass through Human Resources.

There is nothing as unbearable as a bad date. From the awkward conversation to the strained laughter to the moments of sheer bewilderment (did he just call me "Poopsy?"), dating is not an activity for the easily discouraged. Thankfully, Justin Racz returns with this newest installment to help ease the romantic pain. These would-be Casanovas remind us that there are worse times to be had. Including entries such as: "Creepy Non-Blinker," "Keeps Telling You How Much You Remind Him of His Sister," "Mechanical Bull Riding," "Lap Dog Girl," and "Invites you over and is wearing pajamas when you arrive," 50 Dates Worse Than Yours presents just about every blindingly bad date around. Filled with entertaining photographs and outrageous bullet points listing each prospective partner's hideous traits, this is the perfect gift for anyone who has ever faked food poisoning just to get away from that guy her aunt set her up with.

We've all had bad days: lost our keys, broken a nail, missed a train. Some days, however, are much worse than others, as Justin Racz proves in this hilarious new addition to the smash hit Worse Than Yours series. Collecting fifty of the most memorable "bad days," this outrageous book catalogs everything from the daily ("First gray hair noticed") to the legendary ("Eve eats apple"), from the public ("New York City sanitation strike") to the painfully private ("Ricky gets atomic wedgie, 1976"). An inspired and fully illustrated testament to schadenfreude, 50 Days Worse than Yours proves that nothing is as universal as suffering. Whether you're a kid ("Picked last in gym-again"), a new parent ("Barney invented"), or facing down middle age ("AARP card arrives"), you can be sure to find some comfort in this riotous compilation of things gone wrong. After all, it could have been much, much worse... Justin Racz is the author of 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours, 50 Relatives Worse Than Yours, 50 Jobs Worse Than Yours and J.Crewd. He is an advertising copywriter and lives in New York City. Alec Brownstein is a film director and advertising copywriter. He lives in New York City and was a contributing writer on 50 Relatives Worse Than Yours.

Tired of watching your man play X-Box all day? Does he cruise match.com when you're not home? When he takes you back to his place, does his mother answer the door? 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours is a hilarious collection of these painfully familiar boyfriends, men we've all had the misfortune to meet. There's Thrifty, who thinks taking you out to Chuck E Cheese is charming; Goth Guy, who borrows your make-up; Large Pet Owner, who wears his Python around the house. Rounding out the list are The Flaw Corrector, The Comedian (who's using you for material), One Position Peter (enough said), and Balding and Touchy About It. Isn't revenge sweet? Funny, irresistible, and instantly relatable, 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours is the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

From bestselling writer David Graeber—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences. Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs. Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).