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Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom
In a society which promises that great things come from hard work, Keith Boykin counters that great things come from quitting. Boykin writes that quitting “is for anyone” — quitting your job, your city, your relationship, and anything else that doesn’t serve you.
At twenty-seven years old, Boykin left behind a lucrative law career to work for the Clinton administration in the White House. But when his skills were underutilized, he quit his prestigious post after two years. Boykin soon went on to write the New York Times best seller Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America, an examination of race and sexual orientation in the Black community.
Since then, Boykin has quit a string of jobs, careers, organizations, and residences in pursuit of the autonomy and purpose that he eventually achieved. To him, nothing is more important than personal freedom: not money, not the veneer of success, and certainly not goals that other people have for his life. Quitting means change. And change is the first step on the path to freedom.
Cut to 2021, and Boykin is cheering on the 47 million Americans who left their jobs — for many a good reason — in what has become known as the Great Resignation. This new wave of “quitters” may not be quitting the White House, as Boykin did. Instead, it’s about quitting jobs that he considers to be eternal “preplanned treadmills” rather than valued ways of life.
In this candid memoir, Keith Boykin takes you on a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures that ultimately leads to a meaningful existence beyond “the identity of your employment.” Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom is the bold encouragement that will push you toward making changes to live life on your terms.
At twenty-seven years old, Boykin left behind a lucrative law career to work for the Clinton administration in the White House. But when his skills were underutilized, he quit his prestigious post after two years. Boykin soon went on to write the New York Times best seller Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America, an examination of race and sexual orientation in the Black community.
Since then, Boykin has quit a string of jobs, careers, organizations, and residences in pursuit of the autonomy and purpose that he eventually achieved. To him, nothing is more important than personal freedom: not money, not the veneer of success, and certainly not goals that other people have for his life. Quitting means change. And change is the first step on the path to freedom.
Cut to 2021, and Boykin is cheering on the 47 million Americans who left their jobs — for many a good reason — in what has become known as the Great Resignation. This new wave of “quitters” may not be quitting the White House, as Boykin did. Instead, it’s about quitting jobs that he considers to be eternal “preplanned treadmills” rather than valued ways of life.
In this candid memoir, Keith Boykin takes you on a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures that ultimately leads to a meaningful existence beyond “the identity of your employment.” Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom is the bold encouragement that will push you toward making changes to live life on your terms.
- GenresNonfiction
81 pages, ebook
Published October 12, 2022
15 people want to read
About the author
Keith Boykin
9 books42 followersKeith Boykin is an American TV and film producer, national political commentator, author, and former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. He has made much of this public in his 2022 memoir, Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 17, 2023
Okay, a few thoughts on this book.
Some of his thought process is really similar to mine in the sense of freedom being his goal, living life daily instead of working for most of your day/week/life, having an identity outside of your employment, etc. I appreciated the ways he was able to articulate it.
BUT
This book at times reads really tone-deaf and privileged. He eventually leaves his full time job because he is able to live off of his book deals, speaking events and whatnot. At what he describes as his “low point” he goes into the welfare office to get help with his rent - when they ask about assets he says he has a condo (in Miami) but doesn’t want to sell it. That does not correlate to the lives of every day lives of working people.
The book sometimes felt condescending. There were moments that were like, “I struggled SO much. I had to sell my second home!” and that’s just not realistic for most of the world.
I liked the parts about valuing your life and balance and freedom but I wouldn’t recommend this book.
Some of his thought process is really similar to mine in the sense of freedom being his goal, living life daily instead of working for most of your day/week/life, having an identity outside of your employment, etc. I appreciated the ways he was able to articulate it.
BUT
This book at times reads really tone-deaf and privileged. He eventually leaves his full time job because he is able to live off of his book deals, speaking events and whatnot. At what he describes as his “low point” he goes into the welfare office to get help with his rent - when they ask about assets he says he has a condo (in Miami) but doesn’t want to sell it. That does not correlate to the lives of every day lives of working people.
The book sometimes felt condescending. There were moments that were like, “I struggled SO much. I had to sell my second home!” and that’s just not realistic for most of the world.
I liked the parts about valuing your life and balance and freedom but I wouldn’t recommend this book.
January 17, 2023
When your freedom stems from 'I can always go back to law' that is a privilege very few of us have. This book repeats itself over and over again and even the life quotes are ones you've heard so many times by now, they are not even inspirational anymore. I congratulate the author in having succeeded to living his life as he wishes, but this just not a realistic path for anyone outside of his bubble.
January 11, 2023
This book sucked.
I'm giving it 1 star because I understand & value that this is his experience & his opinions etc. & I am not going to devalue someone's life experience.
However this book just felt pointless - I'm not sure if I just expect something different from books like this - like do I expect it to be more realistic to the everyday person or maybe I expect it to be inspiring. Maybe I'm a hater - I don't know.
However in this book it just didn't vibe with me.
I mean one part of the book he said he went to a welfare office to help pay his rent as he was lost he was at rock bottom essentially. The person in the office then asks if he has assets - at that point he remembers his condo. He doesn't want to sell the condo - that wasn't the plan. It's tone deaf - the fact you go to get financial aid for your rent & that's rock bottom but at the same time you own a condo just isn't relatable or inspirational to the regular person.
The book just made me mad that it was recommended to me as an inspirational book - I just read the entitlement & no relatability to the regular person.
I'm giving it 1 star because I understand & value that this is his experience & his opinions etc. & I am not going to devalue someone's life experience.
However this book just felt pointless - I'm not sure if I just expect something different from books like this - like do I expect it to be more realistic to the everyday person or maybe I expect it to be inspiring. Maybe I'm a hater - I don't know.
However in this book it just didn't vibe with me.
I mean one part of the book he said he went to a welfare office to help pay his rent as he was lost he was at rock bottom essentially. The person in the office then asks if he has assets - at that point he remembers his condo. He doesn't want to sell the condo - that wasn't the plan. It's tone deaf - the fact you go to get financial aid for your rent & that's rock bottom but at the same time you own a condo just isn't relatable or inspirational to the regular person.
The book just made me mad that it was recommended to me as an inspirational book - I just read the entitlement & no relatability to the regular person.
June 12, 2023
Inspirational, his ideology of quitting really speaks to me.
A bit repetitive and jumping back and forth in his life timeline, but the overall message is great.
Focus on experiences, not attainment of things.
Forget the 9-5, work for yourself - do what you love. If doing what you love is working a 9-5 so be it, but be sure to take significant time off to enjoy your life, find the freedom in it.
Don’t live to work, work to live.
Your work and “what you do” shouldn’t solely define who you are and not be your whole identity.
Money doesn’t mean happiness, although not being broke does make life easier. Happiness comes from freedom.
Find your happiness, choose freedom, choose life.
A bit repetitive and jumping back and forth in his life timeline, but the overall message is great.
Focus on experiences, not attainment of things.
Forget the 9-5, work for yourself - do what you love. If doing what you love is working a 9-5 so be it, but be sure to take significant time off to enjoy your life, find the freedom in it.
Don’t live to work, work to live.
Your work and “what you do” shouldn’t solely define who you are and not be your whole identity.
Money doesn’t mean happiness, although not being broke does make life easier. Happiness comes from freedom.
Find your happiness, choose freedom, choose life.
March 2, 2023
I'm giving this book a very generous 3 star rating for it's entertainment value of being essentially a memoir. According to the description and Keith Boykin "quitting is for everyone" and that's a cute saying but he does not make a compelling case for that belief with this book. Sure, quitting can be for anyone who can fall back on a law degree and book speaking engagements and gets offered book deals but that's not everyone now is it?
June 29, 2023
I kept thinking of McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: "Well, I tried, didn't I?" But this didn't seem as much about character as it was about random attempts after which hone person fell into something famous. it wasn't a bad book, but after I finished, I wondered why he wrote it beyond just trying to make sense of his decisions (or lack thereof).
May 17, 2023
Great for a short read, but I would have loved to hear more about how someone can get to that freedom, in an achievable way. The author leads an impressive life, but not all of us would be afforded the same opportunities despite hard work.
September 22, 2023
reeks of privelege.
its amazing how the author continuously talks about his privelege yet fails to see it completely.
ask chatgpt instead if you want tips on how to quit your job. chatgpt is more self aware and realistic.
its amazing how the author continuously talks about his privelege yet fails to see it completely.
ask chatgpt instead if you want tips on how to quit your job. chatgpt is more self aware and realistic.
March 27, 2024
Thought provoking - interesting - inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews