On The Line

by Harvey Swados

A classic of the literature of work, On the Line reveals the essential vision of a writer who, almost alone of his generation, portrayed America's families and factories with empathy, compassion, and intelligence. Swados's important essay "The Myth of the Happy Worker" has been included as an appendix.
 

Genres: Fiction, Labor

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Harvey Swados was an American social critic and author of novels, short stories, essays and journalism.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swados writes his short stories as perfect vignettes that not only provide individual glimpses into the lives of his multifaceted characters, he weaves a larger tale allowing us to experience "the line" from intertwining story lines.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have never worked on an assembly line, and I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that only a tiny few members of Goodreads have, this book will illuminate what that experience was and is like. It's also very good readable writing with excellent descriptions of characters both from the inside and the outside. And more often than not, the outside is the same as the inside, as one character tells another "They wouldn't think that about you. People can tell what you are by your face". Because the stories are linked, you can get a different perspective on some characters by seeing them through the eyes of others. It's a great way to write!