Help Wanted: A Novel
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- Create Date：2024-03-06 14:21:53
- Update Date：2025-09-14
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- Author：Adelle Waldman
- ISBN：B0C97FR8RR
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Reviews
Elli Lewis
，
A Quirky Commentary🧡 This was a wry， quirky comedy about the modern workplace。 Soundbite🎧 A fun， dryly funny performance by Amanda Ronconi。 Big thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review。Find more bird’s eye view audiobooks reviews at Audiobooks Nest。 A Quirky Commentary🧡 This was a wry， quirky comedy about the modern workplace。 Soundbite🎧 A fun， dryly funny performance by Amanda Ronconi。 Big thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review。Find more bird’s eye view audiobooks reviews at Audiobooks Nest。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
The workplace has been fodder for some excellent novels， such as Joshua Ferris’s “Then We Came to the End” and Stewart O’Nan’s “Last Night at the Lobster。” Adele Waldman， the author of “The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P，” which was universally praised by reviewers and included on many “best of” lists， joins the pantheon of workplace fiction writers with “Help Wanted。” “Help Wanted” is a funny， yet urgent peek into the aspirations and disappointments of the members of the Movement， the employees of The workplace has been fodder for some excellent novels， such as Joshua Ferris’s “Then We Came to the End” and Stewart O’Nan’s “Last Night at the Lobster。” Adele Waldman， the author of “The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P，” which was universally praised by reviewers and included on many “best of” lists， joins the pantheon of workplace fiction writers with “Help Wanted。” “Help Wanted” is a funny， yet urgent peek into the aspirations and disappointments of the members of the Movement， the employees of a fictional big box store who are responsible for unloading the trucks that arrive before dawn from the distribution center and placing the merchandise on the store’s shelves before the sun rises。Fictional Potterstown， New York， the setting for Waldman’s novel， has not recovered from the departure of IBM， its largest employer， but it has become a popular summer destination “for certain type of city person （the kind who eschewed — or was priced out of — the Hamptons）。” Town Square Store offers these vacationers the goods that they may need while sequestered in their airbnbs。 Ironically， the mass-produced knockoffs of trendy， boutique type items which Town Square Store offers “were cheap only to people who shopped at actual boutiques。” The people who worked at Town Square shopped at Walmart。The members of Movement are the bottom of the store’s pecking order because it was not “customer-facing。” It was where HR “put people whose social skills were 。 。 。 ‘Not ready for prime time。’” They were called “roaches” by the other employees because they descended on the store in the dark of night and scattered in the morning when the customers arrived。 Yet， the “diversity of race， gender， and ethnicity” of the Movement staff “would have made the headmaster of a private school bug-eyed with envy，” and these employees were united in their quest for regular schedules and more hours that would give them benefits， such as health insurance and tuition assistance。 When Big Will， the 29 year old store manager， announces that he is being transferred to a more prestigious store in Connecticut， his underlings conspire to promote the advancement of those that they would most like to be their direct supervisor and plot their own advancement。 Waldman spent six months at a big box store unloading trucks full of boxes。 She has used this experience to write an endearing portrait of the struggles and dreams of low wage workers。 。。。more
switterbug （Betsey）
，
From first to last page， I was strapped in， attuned to the workers at Town Square， the discount big box store in the struggling， downsized town of Potterstown in upstate New York。 This particular breed of story is timely and yet commonly overlooked in much of literature。 It concerns store-level employees in contemporary times。 If it sounds plain for a story， you’re out to lunch！ This is a spicy， savory slice of several lives， folks we meet everyday but often don’t realize。The diagrammed graph of From first to last page， I was strapped in， attuned to the workers at Town Square， the discount big box store in the struggling， downsized town of Potterstown in upstate New York。 This particular breed of story is timely and yet commonly overlooked in much of literature。 It concerns store-level employees in contemporary times。 If it sounds plain for a story， you’re out to lunch！ This is a spicy， savory slice of several lives， folks we meet everyday but often don’t realize。The diagrammed graph of the main and subordinate characters at the front of the first pages gave me pause---I wondered how I would keep all these people straight， differentiated。 Well， Amy Waldman did that for me。 Her characters are so distinct and leap-worthy off the pages that I had no problem separating and identifying each and every coworker， boss， and executive。 Even if this novel gets a big publishing boost， I would hail it as a sleeper。 I didn’t know that I would be in its grip from start to finish。 The crackle， the subterfuge！ It’s truly hard to put down！Once you open to page one， you’re locked down for the ride。 The plot is seemingly simple。 A staff promotion dangles for the daring or deserving worker bee at Town Square， putting sauce in the synergy of a big box team。 The quirky or enfant terrible side of the devious parlance keeps us fastened to the story。 The crew wants to engineer the outcome， steering the direction for their own choice of boss。 That takes teamwork and strategy for the haul of several weeks。Defiance， opposition， and dog-eat-dog—as well as touching support that coworkers can demonstrate， rise to the surface of hearts and minds， and sometimes clings to the shallow and fallow， too。 Waldman has a knack for illuminating an individual’s favorable assets as well as the dark side of cleverness。 I was as invested in their lives as they were in their own chicanery。 For them， it was a matter of survival。HELP WANTED is an ensemble comedic drama。 The plot moves at a game clip， and serves to intensify the characters and themes。 Is your stature at work important to how you measure your worth？ How DO you measure your worth， and what kind of future do you want， v。 what you think you are supposed to need？ How can you jettison your impediments， and does your past determine your future？ Can you overcome your regrets？Town Square prides itself on their diversity and progressiveness。 But there’s demand to steady the times—to cut costs， eliminate overtime， and reduce staffing levels。This isn’t one of those momentous novels about changing or saving the world; rather， it’s about the world as it is， about human relations， and a big peek into the retail industry。 I worked retail right after I got out of high school---back in the Flintstone era， and though technology has changed the process， the human side remains the same。 We are all just people， trying to get along， or ahead， or just pursing a steady pay。 HELP WANTED is a blast and a half， touching， tender， and tenacious。Thank you to Norton for sending me a finished copy for review。 I would not have known to select this for myself。 Sometimes， others know our strengths in reading， too！ This book reads swiftly and is certainly timely。4。5+ 。。。more
Jo Lee
，
This was plugged as a comedy。 I must’ve lost all sense of humour entirely because I found it sad， depressing actually， the back biting， the worry， the stress of pay check to pay check depending on social security stamps to fill the kids bellies， with no heath care or benefits to speak of。 It’s too much of a reality for far too many。 Dreaming of better days。 It felt pretty disingenuous in all honesty。 The narration was ok but a bit pitchy。 Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify AB for the opportunity This was plugged as a comedy。 I must’ve lost all sense of humour entirely because I found it sad， depressing actually， the back biting， the worry， the stress of pay check to pay check depending on social security stamps to fill the kids bellies， with no heath care or benefits to speak of。 It’s too much of a reality for far too many。 Dreaming of better days。 It felt pretty disingenuous in all honesty。 The narration was ok but a bit pitchy。 Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify AB for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Nanette
，
Thank you Bookbrowse and the publisher for sending an advance reading copy of this book。 Using a mundane topic about working in a big box store and turning it into a very interesting storyline in Help Wanted， worked！ I enjoyed seeing the relationships between co-workers and bosses， with the myriad of reasons behind each character working for that company， and their exchanges between each other， held my attention throughout this story。 In my opinion， it shows every life is worthwhile and every jo Thank you Bookbrowse and the publisher for sending an advance reading copy of this book。 Using a mundane topic about working in a big box store and turning it into a very interesting storyline in Help Wanted， worked！ I enjoyed seeing the relationships between co-workers and bosses， with the myriad of reasons behind each character working for that company， and their exchanges between each other， held my attention throughout this story。 In my opinion， it shows every life is worthwhile and every job is important， to both themselves and the people one may work with， as well as the company itself。 For a company to survive and thrive within a neighborhood， it is only as good as its employees， no matter what the job description may be。 。。。more
Kim
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This book seemed like something I would like and I did want to like it。 The author just made it too much of a slog。 The writing seemed really out of touch with the actual characters。 Something about it just screamed disingenuous。
John
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I worked in the same business， if around the time that Reagan was first elected， and even though the Target-like department store in depressed upstate New York State competes with a certain unnamed "online retailer" in a very changed industry， the stories of low-wage， struggling employees doing unloading of shipments from four until eight each morning resonates。 The author's one of the "city people" who've driven up housing prices as the blighted Potterstown （a sly allusion; read Poughkeepsie or I worked in the same business， if around the time that Reagan was first elected， and even though the Target-like department store in depressed upstate New York State competes with a certain unnamed "online retailer" in a very changed industry， the stories of low-wage， struggling employees doing unloading of shipments from four until eight each morning resonates。 The author's one of the "city people" who've driven up housing prices as the blighted Potterstown （a sly allusion; read Poughkeepsie or Binghamton） with a quaint， if hollowed out downtown， turns a destination for Catskills-adjacent "weekenders。" This backdrop is barely sketched， but as the novel's gushing blurbs from fellow denizens with second or newly refurbished first homes a couple hours north of Brooklyn or Manhattan concur， Waldman does her darnedest to channel the voices of those who've been shunted aside by the elites who move factories to foreign countries， eagerly usher in automation， and make sure to pay workers 39 hours/week at most so as to avoid benefits and health care。 The enterprise grinds down those raising kids， living in mom's basement， getting out of prison， striving to pass the GED， and battling emotional， psychological， mental， and/or physical damage。 The story roams between an omniscient narrative and indirect first-person voices of a half-dozen or so of the logistics crew who handle the deliveries to the store's back warehouse。 This drags the pace。 Too many of the characters lack distinctive enough features to differentiate them effectively。 It'd have flowed more convincingly if dialogue rather than interior monologue predominated。 Wildman attempts to combine a plot about individual ambition and collective action as the Movement collude to conspire to influence the decision to promote from within to the ranks of store manager， with its enticements of steady hours， higher pay， insurance， and the basic perks abandoned by most corporations over the past few decades。 The plot unfolds gradually， and its telling doesn't falter。 Even if its execution stumbles into a denouement which stqggers。This experiment smacks of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed investigation of the previous generation， who came of age as the postwar abundance shriveled into stagflation， NAFTA， globalization， and the fraying of the safety net for the working poor and the working classes。 She signed on to hourly-waged jobs cleaning motels， waiting on tables， and dealing with customers as hard up as she chose to make roleplay。 But like Waldman， this twist on acting out a proletarian peon rather than posing as an "Undercover Boss" carries its airs of make-believe， like an undercover detective who clocks out and sleeps soundly in a more comfortable bed。 Still， Waldman with an ear for witty puteowns， snarky goldbricking {if not as easily carried out in an era of scanners， security cameras， and Stakhanovite production pressures） manages to convey the few ups and many downs of those in flyover country， where the IBM plant sprawls abandoned and where its either toiling for Town Square Inc。（i。e。， Target in all but name）， the even more parsimonious Walmart， fast food， or a UnitedHealthCare call center。 This panorama of barely fictionalized post-industrial， zero-hour scheduling， and MBA suite euphemisms seeps into the frigid pre-dawns where these struggles multiply。 。。。more
Bailey Hardy
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Profound meaning with great character development。
Emi Yoshida
，
Town Square Store #1512 is a discount retailer located in a segment of upstate NY still struggling since IBM left， a generation back。 This story revolves around the workers in the store's earliest morning shift， tasked with unloading deliveries and restocking the shelves; a diverse cohort considered unqualified to interact with customers， nor capable of autonomous decision-making。 Author Adelle Waldman profiles each staff member meticulously， we're given their background and history almost as if Town Square Store #1512 is a discount retailer located in a segment of upstate NY still struggling since IBM left， a generation back。 This story revolves around the workers in the store's earliest morning shift， tasked with unloading deliveries and restocking the shelves; a diverse cohort considered unqualified to interact with customers， nor capable of autonomous decision-making。 Author Adelle Waldman profiles each staff member meticulously， we're given their background and history almost as if we're HR and this is a case study。 Interesting points are made about race， gender， class and the economics of labor/inherent inequity in the workplace。 The plot involves the departure of Town Square's popular Store Manager to another region， and the staff's collective efforts to get their evil floor manager promoted in order to get her off their backs。 I like the themes: that hope can ignite ingenuity， that everyone can learn and grow， short-term vs long-term gains， and that nice guys can actually get ahead。 I liked this much more than The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P， Waldman's highly acclaimed first novel。 。。。more
Daphne Manning
，
The work space in this story unleashes all vignettes that working in America fosters。 It’s that mind numbing，watch the clock， need to decompress exsistance you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy。 Yet here there is that sense of brothers in arms that got soldiers through and made heroes。 It’s moments of humor shine and give respite to the reader who counts themselves lucky they don’t have a supervisor as ill equipped as the one in charge here。 A joy to read。
Margo Littell
，
In the darkest， ungodliest hours of the morning， in the unseen warehouse of a big box store called Town Square， a group of workers gathers day after day to unload delivery trucks， sort the merchandise into departments， and empty the boxes onto store shelves。 There are so many indignities in their workplace， and the worst is the manager of logistics， Meredith， who has created a culture of fear， pettiness， and disrespect among the team。 When a store manager position opens up， Meredith is vocal abo In the darkest， ungodliest hours of the morning， in the unseen warehouse of a big box store called Town Square， a group of workers gathers day after day to unload delivery trucks， sort the merchandise into departments， and empty the boxes onto store shelves。 There are so many indignities in their workplace， and the worst is the manager of logistics， Meredith， who has created a culture of fear， pettiness， and disrespect among the team。 When a store manager position opens up， Meredith is vocal about her ambition to be crowned--and the team decides that the best thing they can do to improve their work life is to ensure Meredith gets the promotion。 Of course， this means one of them will then be chosen to take Meredith’s place。 But which one？The team members conspire and scheme。 Some feel guilty， some don’t。 Their back stories are revealed as this small drama plays out: Ruby is illiterate; Travis is an ex-con; Big Will can’t wait to move to Connecticut。 The stories never really surprise， which is probably the point of a book that’s intended as social commentary--these characters are a kind of big-box archetype; you’ll find them everywhere， facing the same injustices of retail and capitalism。 After some three hundred pages， readers may be left thinking， “Yes， and？。。。”***Review originally written for the City Book Review。 I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。*** 。。。more
Sarah
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This book felt very true to working retail。 It had a lot of characters and dragged a little in the middle。 But overall I thought it was well written and it was interesting reading about the politics and office dynamics in the store。
Mary Tharp
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Sad how the workers treated each other。
Abby Kozel
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read for work and was pleasantly surprised。 this book was amazing！ the characters were so rich and complicated。 I teared up and the ending and rooted for all of them to succeed。 i love how raw this book is and how the end is realistic and optimistic。 love。
Lisa of Hopewell
，
I learned of this book via this post: https://alifeinbooks。co。uk/2024/02/bo。。。 I learned of this book via this post: https://alifeinbooks。co。uk/2024/02/bo。。。 。。。more
Lori
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3。5-4 The employees of the Movement （warehouse） department in a Target-like store are barely getting by as a big change is about to take place。 This one is a hard one to review for me。 On one hand， it's a great look into the hidden side of a big box store。 But there's kind of a thin plot about potentially sabotaging the manager's promotion。 There were a lot of characters to keep track of - which on one hand emphasized the plight of those working these types of jobs - but on the other hand dilute 3。5-4 The employees of the Movement （warehouse） department in a Target-like store are barely getting by as a big change is about to take place。 This one is a hard one to review for me。 On one hand， it's a great look into the hidden side of a big box store。 But there's kind of a thin plot about potentially sabotaging the manager's promotion。 There were a lot of characters to keep track of - which on one hand emphasized the plight of those working these types of jobs - but on the other hand diluted the story a bit。 All in all， I did like this workplace drama （with bits of humor） and how it shed light on the inner workings of the big box store。 Thanks to W。W。 Norton for the ARC。 。。。more
Sherry Moyer
，
The world of retail， a big box store in a dying upstate New York town is the setting for this story of the people who work there as they vie for a promotion — and scheme to control the promotion of their boss。 Here’s what worked for me: •It’s a huge ensemble cast， each described with a depth not usually given to so many。•There’s humor， a very dry sort， and exceptional sensitivity to money and race and class。 •Incredible detail about the inner workings of the behind the scenes machinations of a b The world of retail， a big box store in a dying upstate New York town is the setting for this story of the people who work there as they vie for a promotion — and scheme to control the promotion of their boss。 Here’s what worked for me: •It’s a huge ensemble cast， each described with a depth not usually given to so many。•There’s humor， a very dry sort， and exceptional sensitivity to money and race and class。 •Incredible detail about the inner workings of the behind the scenes machinations of a big box store — possibly more than you want to know。 •Despite early confusion， multiple perspectives give this a rich depth for each character。•There’s a hope and a resilience that never dies， even when things don’t go as planned。 Here’s what didn’t work for me:•It’s marketed as a dramedy but it’s much more of a drama than a comedy and veers towards depressing at turns。 •Narration jumps around， and initially， before everyone is defined in the reader’s mind， it can be a lot。 At Town Square Store #1512， the members working in “movement” have devised a plan。 Working in the early pre-dawn hours， unloading the truck and then unboxing and stocking shelves， the crew finds out that Meredith， their despised boss， might get promoted， so they decide to do what they can to make it happen。 Why？ Because if she moves up， she’ll no longer be micromanaging them。But that’s not all。 The crew quickly realizes that Meredith moving up means one of them will likely get promoted into her position。 And they all realize they want it。 Each member of the team is described in vivid detail: the sad upbringing， the tough time in high school， the stint in jail， the unhappy marriage， the need for more money or health benefits， the kids， the parents， the dying town they’re all stuck in。 Each member described without apology。It’s an interesting look at what it means to be stuck — in a place， in a town， in a life you don’t want and how those around you can impact your ability to change。 Fascinating and full of humanity。 This is a ARC that I was given the opportunity to read and review from Goodreads and Norton Publishing。 Releases March 5， 2024。 。。。more
Maria
，
A Profound Glimpse into Everyday Lives: 'Help Wanted' by Adelle WaldmanI had the pleasure of receiving 'Help Wanted' through a giveaway， and I must say， I absolutely adored this book。 Adelle Waldman skillfully captures the essence of working in the Logistics department at a large store， a scenario I can personally relate to after spending years in a similar job。While the plot may not delve into profound depths， Waldman compensates with an incredible portrayal of the characters。 The novel offers A Profound Glimpse into Everyday Lives: 'Help Wanted' by Adelle WaldmanI had the pleasure of receiving 'Help Wanted' through a giveaway， and I must say， I absolutely adored this book。 Adelle Waldman skillfully captures the essence of working in the Logistics department at a large store， a scenario I can personally relate to after spending years in a similar job。While the plot may not delve into profound depths， Waldman compensates with an incredible portrayal of the characters。 The novel offers a genuine glimpse into the lives of those toiling away in the hustle and bustle of Town Square， the store where every character is employed。 Despite the seemingly mundane setting， Waldman masterfully unveils the intricacies of each character's life， creating a rich tapestry of personalities。What sets this book apart is its ability to shed light on the realities of work in the United States， offering a window into the types of jobs that many people hold。 The seemingly trivial nature of the story belies its engaging narrative， and I found myself thoroughly enchanted by the lives of the characters。'Help Wanted' might appear simple on the surface， but its charm lies in the profound understanding it provides of the way people work and the jobs they hold。 A truly engaging read that I wholeheartedly adored。 。。。more
Elizabeth Jackson
，
I really really liked this book。 Extraordinary writing about ordinary people doing ordinary things is one of my favorite genres， and this book also perfectly captured the awkward and fraught socioeconomic structure of groups of workers in this type of workplace。 I’ve worked in such a similar job environment and this book just got that dynamic spot on。 I also don’t usually love it when a book changes character point of view throughout but this was one of the most well done versions of this I’ve r I really really liked this book。 Extraordinary writing about ordinary people doing ordinary things is one of my favorite genres， and this book also perfectly captured the awkward and fraught socioeconomic structure of groups of workers in this type of workplace。 I’ve worked in such a similar job environment and this book just got that dynamic spot on。 I also don’t usually love it when a book changes character point of view throughout but this was one of the most well done versions of this I’ve read， and was the rare example that made me even prefer this style actually， except I would read a whole book about Nicole if I could。 Maybe the ending was a little too figured out and pat， but overall I was a big fan。 。。。more
Sonia Reppe
，
At first the large cast of characters might seem hard to keep track of， but this is worth it for the observant view into "office" politics， employee/boss relations， coworkers jostling for position and promotion， etc。 I'm going to say that most working adults can relate to the goings-on in here。 Waldman displays a sympathetic view into this diverse cast of characters。 I picked this up because it sounded like one of my favorite shows， Superstore; but this had a different vibe。 Some of the characte At first the large cast of characters might seem hard to keep track of， but this is worth it for the observant view into "office" politics， employee/boss relations， coworkers jostling for position and promotion， etc。 I'm going to say that most working adults can relate to the goings-on in here。 Waldman displays a sympathetic view into this diverse cast of characters。 I picked this up because it sounded like one of my favorite shows， Superstore; but this had a different vibe。 Some of the characters had sad， frustrated lives， but things get interesting when a large group of them all work together on a scheme of sorts， and the mood lightens and this ends on a hopeful note。 。。。more
Elaine
，
This book is so poorly written that I had to force myself to finish it。 Save your money and your time- there are much better books out there！
Stroop
，
A lovely “slice of life” story about workers at a big-box store。 When the Movement team finds out their supervisor’s supervisor is leaving， they band together to get their supervisor promoted so they no longer have to deal with her directly… This was wonderful - the author does an amazing job of portraying each character in a tender and nonjudgmental way。 We get multiple points of view， each one offering a compelling glimpse at a team member’s life in and outside of the workplace。 Help Wanted is A lovely “slice of life” story about workers at a big-box store。 When the Movement team finds out their supervisor’s supervisor is leaving， they band together to get their supervisor promoted so they no longer have to deal with her directly… This was wonderful - the author does an amazing job of portraying each character in a tender and nonjudgmental way。 We get multiple points of view， each one offering a compelling glimpse at a team member’s life in and outside of the workplace。 Help Wanted is a funny， sad， and honest look at what happens when organizations don’t really care about the people who work for them （and a gentle reminder of how consumers’ preferences for low prices above all else impacts the livelihoods of many people）。 By the end of the novel I was so deeply invested in the characters and wanting them all to be OK （maybe even Meredith！）。 Thank you very much to W。 W。 Norton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy。 。。。more
Donna
，
Have you ever looked behind a box store when the employees unload a truck？ It's not something that customers think about when they're only concerned about the merch inside。 But the workers on the line consider their jobs to be the backbone of the company because after all， if there was no stock， customers wouldn't spend money and the store would cease to be。 When their beloved store manager gets the new store he was hoping for， the Movement department hatches a plan to upgrade their ditzy and an Have you ever looked behind a box store when the employees unload a truck？ It's not something that customers think about when they're only concerned about the merch inside。 But the workers on the line consider their jobs to be the backbone of the company because after all， if there was no stock， customers wouldn't spend money and the store would cease to be。 When their beloved store manager gets the new store he was hoping for， the Movement department hatches a plan to upgrade their ditzy and annoying department head to be the new store manager and get her out of their hair。 This will involve the cooperation of all the department members， who work the 4 am shift。 Along with ridding themselves of their hated manager， everyone realizes there's probably a promotion in this for someone， and the money would come in handy。 Corporate is coming out to determine who the new store manager will be and things get complicated。Waldman has obviously worked in retail to so ably conjure up this mini cosmos of life。 Each employee's story is realistically told， involving the reader in where they came from and where they're going。 Politics get involved as store policies butt up against the realities of the employee's lives and you know someone is getting left behind。 The novel is certainly original-I would never imagine that someone could create such a tense situation in a warehouse setting。 Who will come out on top at the expense of the others？ Read and find out。 。。。more
Carla Black
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I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review。 This book was ok。 Not a favorite。 I've worked in places like this so the characters and the plot have complete realism。 I worked in assembly factories my whole life， both union and non union and the plot holds true to both instances。 Maybe since I worked and lived this story I found it really really boring。 The over descriptive dialog of each character took away from the story not helped it。 I already knew these characters I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review。 This book was ok。 Not a favorite。 I've worked in places like this so the characters and the plot have complete realism。 I worked in assembly factories my whole life， both union and non union and the plot holds true to both instances。 Maybe since I worked and lived this story I found it really really boring。 The over descriptive dialog of each character took away from the story not helped it。 I already knew these characters because after 50 years in the workforce I worked with every single one of them。 Maybe I'm just biased because of that fact。 The long hours， the unfairness to the employees， the favoritism it all rang true however。 It was a good attempt at a first write， it just could have been less boring。 You can try it if you like。 But personally I felt like it just was a big waste of time and not entertain。 I just don't see what all the hype is about this book。 A solid C- of a book。 。。。more
Michelle Montalbano
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So smart and compassionate， the exact kind of fiction that people point to when they say that reading novels helps build empathy。 Not only does Help Wanted do justice to the backstories of all the workers in Movement， it also lovingly details their interior lives with an awareness of the structural forces that shaped their choices and trajectories， the mundanity of regular ass work and coming face to face with capitalism's crushing lack of upward mobility， and the weird， unexpected alliances and So smart and compassionate， the exact kind of fiction that people point to when they say that reading novels helps build empathy。 Not only does Help Wanted do justice to the backstories of all the workers in Movement， it also lovingly details their interior lives with an awareness of the structural forces that shaped their choices and trajectories， the mundanity of regular ass work and coming face to face with capitalism's crushing lack of upward mobility， and the weird， unexpected alliances and solidarity that arises around all of that。 I also love that the book brings this level of attention and devotion to ordinary people who work at a big box store， just really nailing that everyone's stories are worth telling， not in the self-congratulatory & tokenizing "Town Square annual report" way， but in the "humanistically rendered subject of serious art" kind of way。 The characters will be recognizable for anyone who's worked a job where there's a real convergence of class， race， gender， sexuality， immigration status， etc。 An important contemporary entry into the canon of working class novels。 。。。more
Michele
，
https://www。vogue。com/article/best-bo。。。 https://www。vogue。com/article/best-bo。。。 。。。more
Susan
，
I am a sucker for good character development and especially， quirky characters。 Help Wanted has both。 Beyond the characters， this book looks at a portion of the American population that is often overlooked， both in real life as well as in print。 People who work behind the scenes in big box retail stores are a struggling， backbone of life in this country。 I don't claim to have a firsthand knowledge of their life， but it seems to be depicted here with accuracy， often with humor and compassion。 The I am a sucker for good character development and especially， quirky characters。 Help Wanted has both。 Beyond the characters， this book looks at a portion of the American population that is often overlooked， both in real life as well as in print。 People who work behind the scenes in big box retail stores are a struggling， backbone of life in this country。 I don't claim to have a firsthand knowledge of their life， but it seems to be depicted here with accuracy， often with humor and compassion。 They are all heroes as well as tragic characters， to themselves and to each other， as every day yields new disappointments but sometimes successes。 I wanted to get to know them all， even the people I didn't like much; they were all so interesting。 。。。more
Julie
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3。5 Having spent almost twenty years working in a "big box" bookstore， much of this book rang true。 While Help Wanted was character driven， making it both interesting and fun to read， the underlying message about what this type of store does to their workers is very realistic。 Waldman highlighted the single mom， the ex-con， the student， and others who have not had a shot at a middle management 40 hr per week job， and what their struggles are。 The varying schedules where one can never plan ahead 3。5 Having spent almost twenty years working in a "big box" bookstore， much of this book rang true。 While Help Wanted was character driven， making it both interesting and fun to read， the underlying message about what this type of store does to their workers is very realistic。 Waldman highlighted the single mom， the ex-con， the student， and others who have not had a shot at a middle management 40 hr per week job， and what their struggles are。 The varying schedules where one can never plan ahead or budget， the quotas that are always unattainable， all make for miserable work conditions。I appreciated this novel for both its humor and realism。 。。。more
Kelley Clemente
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Thank you to W。 W。 Norton for an ARC of this book。 I related to this book through all the part-time jobs I have held over the years。 I have worked with people from all around the world and varying backgrounds and incomes。 We all want the same things。 A stable job， enough money to pay the bills， happy partner/spouse/children。 And we all dream of hope。 That just maybe， if you work hard enough， save enough， etc， things will be better。 I loved how this book made you feel like you were working right Thank you to W。 W。 Norton for an ARC of this book。 I related to this book through all the part-time jobs I have held over the years。 I have worked with people from all around the world and varying backgrounds and incomes。 We all want the same things。 A stable job， enough money to pay the bills， happy partner/spouse/children。 And we all dream of hope。 That just maybe， if you work hard enough， save enough， etc， things will be better。 I loved how this book made you feel like you were working right alongside all the characters。 So much depth into their backgrounds。 If you've ever worked retail， or any other equivalent， you will enjoy this book！ 。。。more
Claire
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