The Last Human Job

""A New Scientist Non-Fiction and Popular Science Books to Look Forward To"" ""[The Last Human Job] cautions readers against unreserved acceptance of [new] technological advances, citing ‘connective labor’ as valuable human work that will not be easily replaced by algorithms. . . . It is filled with stories of those who are in occupations that exemplify connective labor, such as chaplains, teachers, therapists, physicians, community organizers, and hairdressers. . . .[We] must remember what it means to be human, even as multi-billion dollar industries work to attract more of our attention and take more of our time away from meaningful human connection.""---Jonathan Wai, Science ""Striking."" * Guardian * ""Commercial logic, coupled with technology, is eroding the spontaneity of human contact. Pugh's message is plain: we have to make a concerted effort, in the workplace and in our lives, to revive our social worlds.""---Simon Ings, New Scientist ""Highly recommended."" * Library Journal * ""Allison Pugh is a master interviewer. . . . Pugh explores the very substance of her primary method; that rich, ineffable moment in an interaction when you, or your interlocutor, feel seen. Pugh develops the concept of 'connective labor,' the collaborative work of emotional recognition. . . . Pugh is a force—both in the depth and complexity of her scholarship, and the ease of connection she brings to conversation.""---Elizabeth Fetterolf, Public Books ""To save connective labor . . . . all of us have a role to play. We can prioritize human connection and patronize organizations that celebrate this work, even when it would be faster and cheaper to do something another way. We can steer clear of apps and technologies that try to outsource relationships to robots. . . . Since reading The Last Human Job, I've made it a practice to take out my headphones in stores and waiting rooms so that I am more present.""---Amanda Erickson, National Catholic Reporter ""[Pugh’s] writing is clear and accessible. . . . [Arlie Russell] Hochschild coined the term ‘second shift,’ which many readers will recognize as shorthand for gendered tasks that women perform when they get home from wage-paying work. I suspect that, years hence, readers will use Pugh’s terminology in a similar way.""---Cathy Corman, Provincetown Independent ""Written well enough to absorb the attention of not only specialists but any interested reader."" * Choice * ""[An] engaging study.""---Andrew Robinson, Nature