99% Perspiration
A New Working History of the American Way of Life
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
An enlightening and entertaining interrogation of the myth of American self-reliance and the idea of hard work as destiny
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” This phrase, arguably Thomas Edison’s most famous quote, has been drilled into the minds of generations of Americans. A fairly straightforward iteration of the idea that innovation, discovery, and ingenuity are the result of drive and grit above all, it has also come to represent much darker myths: that hard work always leads to success and that achievement is the product of individuals and not communities. In this model, those who come out on top are there because they earned it, and everyone else needs to buckle down, glove up, and, maybe one day, they’ll get there too.
As the wealth gap widens, communities crumble, and Americans work more for less, Adam Chandler raises the question: What happens when perspiration isn’t enough? To answer it, he crisscrosses the country interviewing mayors, teachers, generals, pastors, construction workers, and entrepreneurs, to reveal just how untenable relying on “perspiration” as a strategy has truly become. He also delves into America’s past to reveal how our government, education system, and culture at large have woven the idea of meritocracy deep into the fabric of American society and how some of history’s most famous so-called bootstrappers really built their wealth. From George Washington to Seattle,Washington, Jay Gatsby to Bill Gates, 99% Perspiration unpacks the misguided obsession with hard work that has come to define both the American dream and nightmare, offering insight into how we got here and hope for where we may go.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Hard work has never been the single galvanic force with which the hand of destiny has lifted up the deserving," according to this pointed treatise. Chandler (Drive-Thru Dreams) recounts how despite possessing a rigorous work ethic, nearly half of the Mayflower Puritans died within a few months of arriving in America. Elsewhere, Chandler discusses how George Washington's and Thomas Jefferson's reliance on slave labor upends notions of the founding fathers as "self-made," and how Thomas Edison's penchant for pilfering ideas from rivals undermines his reputation as a singular genius. Contending that venerating overwork makes "our communities wobbly, our faith weak, our lives lonely," Chandler suggests that long hours in the office mean less time for building personal relationships, resulting in alienation that politicians exploit for their own benefit. The history deflates myths of American meritocracy, and stories of ordinary individuals drive home the ill consequences of believing that anyone can succeed if they try hard enough, as when Chandler discusses the exasperation North Carolina mother of two Nakitta Long felt after paying her way through a master's degree in criminal justice only to struggle to secure a well-paying job in any line of work. The result is an eye-opening complement to Alissa Quart's Bootstrapped.
