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Blown Sideways Through Life: A Hilarious Tour de Resume
Dubbed "The Ultimate Working Girl" by Newsweek , Claudia Shear takes readers on a wild adventure through the American work force in Blown Sideways Through Life.
Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend on what you do?
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the upcoming film, Body Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace.
Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend on what you do?
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the upcoming film, Body Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 3, 2011
What a ride! This is someone I would love to hang around with - she is effortlessly hilarious and seemingly willing to take on nearly any adventure. Her writing, which at times is almost stream-of-consciousness, is also insightful and compassionate. She portrays the people she's gotten to know in a lot of surreal situations in a way that gets past their roles as waiters, proofreaders, prostitutes, and brings who they are beyond those roles into focus. My wife and I read this book aloud and I lost count of the times we both cracked up; and yet Ms. Shear doesn't let it become all trivial and fluffy - she shows the impact those roles, and the ways other people treat them, have on her subjects. A great read.
September 11, 2021
For anyone who's ever had a job. Or lost a job. Or had and lost a whole bunch of jobs.
February 20, 2019
The part I liked about this book was how Shear shared the truth about thankless jobs people hold in our country. Often people just don't think about who proofreads a brief, who cleans that bathroom, or who took those messages. The part that was hard for me was her continued pattern of taking jobs, quitting jobs, getting fired from jobs and starting again. I thought her honesty about some of the jobs was interesting, but it was hard for me to read about life with the prostitutues and the illegal enterprises. The highlight of the book was her Outward Bound experience.
February 14, 2018
Okay, this was a strange book. Shear has certainly led an interesting life... But having had a few jobs right out of school trying to find my niche, I can relate to some of her employment experiences though I've never been tempted to apply for most of the jobs she's held...
July 5, 2017
Adult situations
January 14, 2020
One of my favorites--just sent to a friend and was reminded how much I enjoyed the voice, the stories, the reminder that anything is possible. Best. Last. Line. Ever.
December 4, 2020
in love
September 1, 2014
When I was job-hunting, one of the things that I found to be somewhat of a pain was having to complete a job application with the same exact information as on my resume. I know there are reasons for such, but it just always struck me as something that took entirely too long – and I don’t have nearly as many jobs in my history as most people.
Now, I can be thankful that I’m not Claudia Shear, who writes in her memoir-turned-one-woman-show Blown Sideways Through Life about the 64 different jobs she’s held – and quit, and been fired from, too.
“She worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator.” ~ from the book jacket
Told in essay format, on their own these stories seem to be simply a collection of “I had this crappy job, I hated it even there was this cool person or two that I worked with, but I wound up telling the owner to go fuck off, so I got fired or quit.”
Repeat. Repeat again. Sixty times.
This is billed as “a hilarious tour de resume,” which made me think that I was going to be in for a very funny read. Although there are certainly some amusing moments as Ms. Shear is sharing anecdotes about her various jobs, something about this kind of irked me and it took me awhile to figure out why. Because I can understand this “take this job and shove it” mentality once, maybe a couple times in one’s career… but not 64 times.
Finally, it dawned on me: I’m reading this in the wrong decade.
Because no way, no how does anyone, in this 2014 economy, treat 64 jobs with that kind of laissez-faire attitude. But Blown Sideways By Life wasn’t written in 2014; it was published nearly 20 years ago, when life was all kinds of different, indeed.
The takeaway is what matters, though, and it’s timeless. It’s especially relevant for this economy. It’s a reminder that every person taking your order, bagging your groceries, cleaning your hotel room, answering the phone, sweeping the floor, and getting your food is more than their job.
You got that, right? We, you, they are more than our jobs.
“You talk to the people who serve you the food the same way you talk to the people you eat the food with. You talk to the people who work for you the same way you talk to the people you work for…
“Sitting on rooftops, desktops, countertops, under counters; perched on milk crates, wine crates, paper cartons, front steps, hanging out in back alleys, deserted cafeterias, spooky hallways, we are all the same: a motley crew of artsy-fartsy types and single mothers and social misfits and immigrants who work six days, double shifts and send all the money home. We are people in recovery, people in denial, gay guys shocking the shit out of pizza guys from Queens – and vice versa. We all fit in because none of us belongs anywhere. And, boy, what you can learn: dirty words in every language and the fact that nobody is just a typist, just a dishwasher, just a cook, just a porter, just a prostitute. That everyone has a story. Everyone has at least one story that will stop your heart.” (pg. 114-115)
Now, I can be thankful that I’m not Claudia Shear, who writes in her memoir-turned-one-woman-show Blown Sideways Through Life about the 64 different jobs she’s held – and quit, and been fired from, too.
“She worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator.” ~ from the book jacket
Told in essay format, on their own these stories seem to be simply a collection of “I had this crappy job, I hated it even there was this cool person or two that I worked with, but I wound up telling the owner to go fuck off, so I got fired or quit.”
Repeat. Repeat again. Sixty times.
This is billed as “a hilarious tour de resume,” which made me think that I was going to be in for a very funny read. Although there are certainly some amusing moments as Ms. Shear is sharing anecdotes about her various jobs, something about this kind of irked me and it took me awhile to figure out why. Because I can understand this “take this job and shove it” mentality once, maybe a couple times in one’s career… but not 64 times.
Finally, it dawned on me: I’m reading this in the wrong decade.
Because no way, no how does anyone, in this 2014 economy, treat 64 jobs with that kind of laissez-faire attitude. But Blown Sideways By Life wasn’t written in 2014; it was published nearly 20 years ago, when life was all kinds of different, indeed.
The takeaway is what matters, though, and it’s timeless. It’s especially relevant for this economy. It’s a reminder that every person taking your order, bagging your groceries, cleaning your hotel room, answering the phone, sweeping the floor, and getting your food is more than their job.
You got that, right? We, you, they are more than our jobs.
“You talk to the people who serve you the food the same way you talk to the people you eat the food with. You talk to the people who work for you the same way you talk to the people you work for…
“Sitting on rooftops, desktops, countertops, under counters; perched on milk crates, wine crates, paper cartons, front steps, hanging out in back alleys, deserted cafeterias, spooky hallways, we are all the same: a motley crew of artsy-fartsy types and single mothers and social misfits and immigrants who work six days, double shifts and send all the money home. We are people in recovery, people in denial, gay guys shocking the shit out of pizza guys from Queens – and vice versa. We all fit in because none of us belongs anywhere. And, boy, what you can learn: dirty words in every language and the fact that nobody is just a typist, just a dishwasher, just a cook, just a porter, just a prostitute. That everyone has a story. Everyone has at least one story that will stop your heart.” (pg. 114-115)
January 18, 2012
Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend on what you do?
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the upcoming film, Body Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace
Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the upcoming film, Body Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace
August 18, 2010
According to the U.S. National Bureau of Labor Statistics*, the average American will hold a total of 10.8 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42. Actress/writer Claudia Shear held 64 including pastry chef, nude model, receptionist in a whorehouse and an Italian translator. In a monologue reminiscent of Studs Terkel's WORKING, Shear talks about defining one's self by what one does, and does so with humor and candor.
*http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/n...
*http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/n...
July 6, 2009
Fun, quick read. A friend of mine let me borrow it while on vacation and I enjoyed reading about the perils of working odd jobs to make a living. Great reminder on remembering the human spirit in others wherever you encounter them.
August 22, 2007
Talk about turning lemons into lemonade... Shear turns a history of odd and awful jobs into art, with a loving and insightful spirit permeating all. Luminous writing.
May 20, 2008
I saw this on PBS many years ago, so when I finally got my hands on the book I read it in her "voice."
May 26, 2010
It took me a loooooong time, but I finally finished this book. It was enjoyable for a bit of fun reading.
August 25, 2011
A fast, funny, sometimes sad but hopeful read.
April 30, 2012
Hilarious!
August 24, 2012
I can relate!!
April 29, 2013
I read this book many years ago. It serves as a primer for anyone who wants to do a one woman or one man show. Good humor makes you think about the condition of life of the player.
July 19, 2013
read me. laugh you a** off!
November 25, 2014
Fun read. Peter Jennings applauded the book. He was a closet autodidact. He got lucky. Hope Claudia is doing well!
June 29, 2015
Absolutely hilarious. Really captures the author's voice and personal experiences.
August 29, 2016
A quick fun read. The author tells the true story of the 64 different jobs she held - some of which she quit and others she was fired from.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews