I've been going through an existential crisis about my career lately and after bemoaning this to someone close to me, they lent me their copy of this book! It was a refreshing departure from what I typically read and definitely worthwhile for anyone who is feeling unfulfilled professionally. I will note that Crawford has a philosophy background, so the writing can come across as a bit dense for those of us who don't commonly read philosophical treatises. I definitely fall into that bucket, but I found the text to be navigable with sufficient re-reading and googling terms I didn't understand. Overall, I really appreciated Crawford's musings what "work' is and what it ought to be. I think he encapsulates very well a longing so many of us have for work that is challenging but unequivocal. When you're building or repairing something, it's obvious whether you did your job well. Either the object works now, or it doesn't. So much knowledge work - writing reports, preparing presentations, filling out spreadsheets - lacks that objectivity in completeness. Reading through this book helped me realize which aspects of my job I really enjoy (working with my hands, setting up experiments that either work or don't work) and which aspects of my job I struggle with (corporate structure, being so far removed from the people my work is meant to be helping), which was really helpful for this time in my life! This book is clearly a product of something that Crawford has been ruminating on for much of his life, and I think that is beautiful. As much as this book is insightful, it is deeply personal. We as the reader are privy to many of Crawford's life experiences that set him on the path from philosopher to motorcycle mechanic. I think an inevitable consequence of this is that the book can feel alienating to those of us with different backgrounds and life experiences. As a woman, I can say that often times it felt I wasn't really the person Crawford was writing for, which isn't an intrinsically bad thing. This book very much feels like a collection of all the advice and wisdom Crawford wished he could've given to a younger version of himself, who was wrestling with whether to pursue the trades or higher education. It feels as though he's speaking to young men who may be currently going through that same struggle. Again, I don't think this male-oriented perspective is a bad thing. It feels very natural given how personal the book is. I do think Crawford teeters at time towards sexism - the glorification of locker room talk in the trades and bemoaning of HR-enforced professional language was an odd take for example - but overall, I think this book still has a lot of wisdom to offer for all audiences. I really appreciate that the book allows the trades to have their moment to shine, which is definitely long over do!