OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "the Absurdity of Work" by Rainer Breit.]

The Absurdity of Work by Rainer Breit is categorized as "non-fiction," but I would say that "self-improvement book" is the most suitable classification. The book analyzes the history of human labor ranging from 10,000 BC to the present day (in addition to drawing predictions of what is likely to happen in the coming decades). The book's central premise is that the current growth model based on debt and population growth is not viable in the long term. Nations and people who do not realize this reality will suffer a lot in the future.

However, anyone who thinks that the book is monotonous and linear is mistaken. It is not that the book does not follow a chronological order; that is not the point. When it was necessary to "travel in time" to explain an issue or use knowledge from the most diverse areas of human knowledge, the author did it masterfully. Historical and intellectual figures from the most varied epochs are mentioned, such as Calvin, Albert Camus, James Cook, Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Lafargue, and Abraham Maslow.

What stands out in the book is the author's mastery of the most diverse areas of knowledge. He speaks confidently about the most diverse areas that include economics, evolutionary biology, history, business management, and so on. As much as I have read many books on these topics, I ended up learning many things. In a part of the book, Rainer mentions a study that shows the professions that will disappear in the future. Everything there is explained in such a coherent way that it is difficult not to agree with the conclusion. That was what I liked most about the book.

Unfortunately, there are many grammatical errors in the book. The author called Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro "Bolsanaro" more than ten times. There is also a forecast that China's population will drop to 750 million in "2001". The book desperately needs another round of editing. After much thought, I couldn't remember any other aspect that I disliked as much as this one.

The Absurdity of Work by Rainer Breit deserves three out of four stars. While it is true that the book is intelligent, thought-provoking, and deep, it is also evident that it has many grammatical errors that need to be fixed, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. That is the main reason why I couldn't give it a perfect score. The author believes that those who live in Australia are better positioned to enjoy the book as it describes the situation of his home country again and again. I beg to differ. In my opinion, comparing countries only demonstrates the global economy's future and highlights how different countries are performing in the global scenario. Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what will happen to the job market (and different economies) in the coming decades.

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the Absurdity of Work
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Worth reading. A book with the prediction of the future and knowledge of the past is enough information one would want to dive into.

The title is catchy and the thoughts mentioned inside will be hard to deny but they start to worry the reader about the future. Thank you for the review.

The title and the content of this book are really captivating. Interested in knowing what alternate growth model the author opines. Thank you for this review.

A book that challenges the current paradigm of work and its viability must really be unique. Great review.

I love when the current work model is challenged and people can see beyond opportunities for change. Thank you for your thoughtfully-written review!

A book that challenges the current work model and seeks for change will be very enlightening. I will love to have a full grasp of the new models proffered.

Great review.

As intelligent as we might be to predict how certain professions will take a sudden turn in the future, we cannot ascertain everything alone, and that's what makes other people’s predictions interesting.

Furthermore, I would even dare to say that if the author amasses that amount of knowledge in such diverse fields, like economics, evolutionary biology, history, and business management, it can be a big eye-opener, at least for countries financially similar to Australia, or for others in radically different situations as well, it predicts in other ways, based on the particular features, we still can use imagination to better understand how the change will manifest.

Very interesting indeed!

Indeed the current growth model will make the future generations pay for it.The mentioning of historical intellectual figures was an impressive art.Thanks for an honest review.