Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time

Why it’s on the list: An anthropologist’s long history of work itself — from foraging societies through agriculture to the office — by the author who spent decades with the Ju/’hoansi of the Kalahari.

Where I saw it: Recommended by @visakanv on X (September 27, 2025): “borrowed this from the library on a whim and really enjoying it so far, so eloquent and comprehensive.”

Connections

• Productivity — the modern measure the book historicizes.
• Economic Growth — the frame Suzman argues reshaped what work is for.
• Visakan Veerasamy — the recommender.