The Mind at Work
Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker
Published on 26. July 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-14-303557-2 (ISBN)
Description
Featuring a new preface for the 10th anniversary
As did the national bestseller Nickel and Dimed, Mike Rose's revelatory book demolishes the long-held notion that people who work with their hands make up a less intelligent class. He shows us waitresses making lightning-fast calculations, carpenters handling complex spatial mathematics, and hairdressers, plumbers, and electricians with their aesthetic and diagnostic acumen. Rose, an educator who is himself the son of a waitress, explores the intellectual repertory of everyday workers and the terrible social cost of undervaluing the work they do. Deftly combining research, interviews, and personal history, this is one of those rare books that has the capacity both to shape public policy and to illuminate general readers.
As did the national bestseller Nickel and Dimed, Mike Rose's revelatory book demolishes the long-held notion that people who work with their hands make up a less intelligent class. He shows us waitresses making lightning-fast calculations, carpenters handling complex spatial mathematics, and hairdressers, plumbers, and electricians with their aesthetic and diagnostic acumen. Rose, an educator who is himself the son of a waitress, explores the intellectual repertory of everyday workers and the terrible social cost of undervaluing the work they do. Deftly combining research, interviews, and personal history, this is one of those rare books that has the capacity both to shape public policy and to illuminate general readers.
Reviews / Votes
"Rose is saying something profound about democracy." -Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States"Eloquent tribute to our working men and women. It knocked me out." -Studs Terkel"Uplifting... shows a rare capacity to weave together elements of autobiography with the role of class in American education." -Houston Chronicle
"An excellent corrective to the limited way that many of us understand intelligence." -Newsday
"Rose wants to redeem [physical work]...he succeeds mightily." -San Francisco Chronicle
"Clear. Compelling. A celebration of blue-collar laborers; a family memoir; a learned treatise about different kinds of intelligence." -Steve Weinberg, member of the National Book Critics Circle, The Denver Post
"There's no condescension, pity, or sappy moralizing. You can't help but have an increased respect for the mental part of labor." -The Miami Herald
"A groundbreaking study...Extraordinarily moving, never dogmatic. Rose's book puts an important piece of the U.S.'s social puzzle in bold relief." -Publishers Weekly
"This book is brilliant, exciting, and essential..." -Michael B. Katz, author of The Undeserving Poor
"Thanks to Mike Rose's impressive eye, the accomplishments of these workers are now visible." -Howard Gardner, author of Changing Minds
"Like Walt Whitman, Mike Rose celebrates the many forms that intelligence can take in a democracy." -David Tyack, Vida Jacks Professor of Education, Stanford University, author of Seeking Common Ground
"My everyday encounters with waitresses, electricians and handymen have been magically enriched since I read The Mind at Work." -Barbara Garson, author of All the Livelong Day: The Meaning and Demeaning of Routine Work
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York, NY
United States
Publishing group
Penguin Putnam Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
211 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-303557-2 (9780143035572)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2005
Penguin Books
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Mike Rose is a professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He has taught in a wide range of educational settings, from elementary school to adult literacy and job training programs. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Grawemeyer Award in Education, and awards from the Spencer Foundation, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Modern Language Association, and the American Educational Research Association. He also received the Commonwealth Club of California's Award for Literary Excellence in Nonfiction. His books include Lives on the Boundary: The Struggles and Achievements of America's Educationally Underprepared, Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America, The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker, Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us, and Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education.
Content
Preface to the 10th anniversary edition xi
Introduction: Mind and Work xxxiii
The Working Life of a Waitress 1
Styling Hair 31
The Intelligence of Plumbing 56
A Vocabulary of Carpentry 67
Reflective Technique: Electrical Wiring and Construction 100
Two Lives: A Welder and a Foreman 116
Rethinking Hand and Brain 141
Hand and Brain in School: The Paradox of Vocational Education 167
Conclusion: Working Life 195
Afterword: On Method 217
Acknowledgments 225
Notes 229
Introduction: Mind and Work xxxiii
The Working Life of a Waitress 1
Styling Hair 31
The Intelligence of Plumbing 56
A Vocabulary of Carpentry 67
Reflective Technique: Electrical Wiring and Construction 100
Two Lives: A Welder and a Foreman 116
Rethinking Hand and Brain 141
Hand and Brain in School: The Paradox of Vocational Education 167
Conclusion: Working Life 195
Afterword: On Method 217
Acknowledgments 225
Notes 229