Over the last year that BQE has been up, I’ve been reading works in what some would call the “antiwork” or at least the “rethink work” space. I’m just thinking of these as canon reading for anyone trying to develop their own “Big Quit Energy.”

I’m excited to start sharing with you, more than reviews or summaries, a loose collection reactions and tangents that the works below have inspired. I’ll be taking my sweet, leisurely time adding these, and as I do, I’ll link them here under the respective book.

In the meanwhile, whether you are trying to beat your own workaholism, are looking to more effectively set boundaries, want better zingers to fight back against work-humpers, or you’re simply curious about a different perspective of work, I highly recommend all books on this list.

And if there are any missing works here that you feel need to be on the BQE radar, please let me know!

Laziness Does Not Exist by Dr. Devon Price

While all the works on this list are great, it had been almost a decade since a book impacted me as much as this one did. If you judge yourself and/or others harshly about work ethic, Dr. Price provides a needed reframe around the socially constructed concept we call “laziness.”

Reactions:

I - Seriously, why DO we hate the homeless?

II- It’s good that we don’t work like our grandparents

Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe

A fascinating history of a variety of industries, this book lays out the stories and assumptions that management/ownership in each one used to justify driving workers harder and for less pay—and how workers internalized and believed the propaganda wrapped in the notion of “love” and passion.

Reactions:

I - They pay us to own us

The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

While it doesn’t really talk about work very directly, this accessible summary of the Alderian school of psychology strikes me as a very solid philosophical foundation for anyone who knows they need to set more boundaries but feels guilty about it.

In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell

I read this years ago, before even thinking about Big Quit Energy or antiwork. A short and entertaining read, it makes for a great introductory refute to our work-humper society. Bertrand Russell, by the way, is a gift—everything I’ve read by him helps me feel at peace.

Workaholics: The Respectable Addicts by Dr. Barbara Killinger

I’d be remiss if I didn’t read a perspective on workaholism as a psychological condition. This series of articles (also compiled in a book) by the late clinical psychologist Barbara Killinger breaks down how the field defines workaholism, the factors it has identified as feeding into it, and recovery and coping strategies.

Works I haven’t read yet but will possibly add to this list (let me know any suggestions!)

The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd

The Mythology of Work by CrimethInc

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber

The Abolition of Work by Bob Black

Big Quit Energy

Essential Reading to Develop Big Quit Energy