How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone

a book by Sarah Jaffe
Event • Bologna

Work Won’t Love You Back at Bologna Attiva

I’ll be presenting Work Won’t Love You Back in Bologna, Thursday 6 October 2022.

Joining me will be Isabella Conti, mayor of San Lazzaro di Savena. 

Event • Rotterdam

Work Won’t Love You Back at De Dependance

Together with American labour journalist Sarah Jaffe (Work Won’t Love You Back), British labour economist Guy Standing (The Precariat) and Dutch sociologist Marguerite van den Berg (Work is Not a Solution) we will set out to bring into focus what is wrong with our perceptions of work, and what we can do to fundamentally transform our current labour markets.

Event • London

Virtual Event: Housman’s Books with Ray Malone and Kate O’Shea

When you love your job so much that you’ll work for next to nothing, then nothing is exactly what you’ll get.

We’re very pleased to welcome Sarah Jaffe to Housmans to discuss the ‘labour of love’ myth: the idea that certain work is not really work, and should be done for the sake of passion rather than pay. Whether it’s working for free in exchange for ‘experience’, enduring poor treatment in the name of being ‘part of the family’, or clocking serious overtime for a good cause, more and more of us are pushed to make sacrifices for the privilege of being able to do work we enjoy.

Event • London

RSA Event Online: Work Won’t Love You Back

Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, right? Wrong.

This neoliberal ideal of “doing what you love” is actually a recipe for exploitation that is wreaking havoc on our lives and communities. Whether it’s working for exposure and experience, or enduring long hours and poor treatment in the name of ‘being part of the family,’ many of us have fallen into the trap of making sacrifices for the ‘privilege’ of fulfilling work.

Event • Los Angeles

Virtual Event: Skylight Books with Raj Patel

Sarah Jaffe and Raj Patel join us to discuss Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone (Bold Type Books)

*Please note: this event will take place live on Crowdcast. RSVP here to join the livestream or watch the replay!

Event • Seattle

Virtual Event: Town Hall Seattle with Kathi Weeks

In conversation with professor Kathi Weeks, and with support from her book Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone, she examines the “labor of love” myth–the idea that some work is not really work, and should be done out of passion rather than pay. In a deeply-reported examination of this culture, told through the lives and experiences of workers in various industries, Jaffe reveals her belief that we have all been tricked into buying into a new tyranny of work. From the unpaid intern, to the overworked teacher, to the nonprofit worker, and even the professional athlete, she makes the case that the labor of love myth is a recipe for exploitation. In a conversation that is more imperative than ever as the lines between home and work blur to an indistinguishable degree, she asserts that understanding this dynamic will empower us to work less and to demand what our work is worth. And once freed from those binds, we can find out what actually gives us joy, pleasure, and satisfaction.

Event • Chicago

Virtual Book Launch at Pilsen Community Books

Join us as we welcome Sarah Jaffe, Kenzo Shibata and Micah Uetricht for a discussion of Sarah’s new book Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone. ** This event will be streamed via YouTube Live through the Pilsen Community Books YouTube channel. Register for free here for a link to view […]

Event • Minneapolis

Virtual Launch Event at Magers & Quinn Bookstore

Join us for a virtual book launch and Q&A from Sarah Jaffe on Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm Central Time. In conversation with Melissa Gira Grant and Peter Frase.