Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, and Dismissed

This book is full of short stories about the experience of being fired. I loved it and found myself laughing out loud and sharing the stories with my family at the dinner table. It's not a great inspirational read but it takes a lighthearted look at "losing a job" and sometimes thats just want we need!

As a teen, I was fired from my job as deep-fry cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken for failure to adequately clean out the grease-traps. I have carried this mortifying secret with me for years, and after reading FIRED!, I am emboldened to share it with the world. As for FIRED!, I should quickly point out that virtually all of the book's 50-plus entries about being canned are by successful show-biz types. Thus, their stories are generally atypical of the workplace experience. So if you're looking for hardcore blue-collar stories, this ain't the place; the author you're looking for is Studs Terkel. But can these show-biz types write? Surprisingly, yes, most of them can. There are a few duds in here (I don't have the heart to dis them in this review), but most entries have a smile in store for you, and some are "LOL," as we hipsters say. Of interest to me was the fact that, due to the editor's National Public Radio association, there are a number of NPR contributors herein, among whom Sandra Tsing Loh distinguishes herself nicely. As pointed out elsewhere on this reviews page, this book's highest ambition is to be a book of amusing trifles and anecdotes, and it succeeds on its own terms. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a grease-trap that needs tending. (And no, I am not speaking metaphorically.)

Thanks so much for this book. I was fired last week from my crappy retail job of over 8 years. Since I hated my job, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I have been wasting away the degree that I earned (3 years ago!), my talent and my self esteem. Reading this book has made me feel great and not alone. I now know that there is more out there and I'm going to find it. I'm not going to settle for just any job or I'm going to continue to be miserable. I wish you all the success on the book and I'm looking forward to the movie. I am supporter or NPR and I look forward to hearing you on the radio.

I think I speak for lots of the unwillingly unemployed when I say "Thank You" to Annabelle Gurwitch for peeling away the shroud of shame and humiliation associated with getting one's ass canned. I applaud the book not only for its service to humanity but also for its literary quality and entertainment value.

Nothing is worse than getting fired. (okay, some things are) But this collection of stories by people who've been pink slipped is hilarious. They were all smart enough and creative enough to turn their experiences from dross into gold. Andy Borowitz is wonderfully funny about being on the staff of the sit-com "Facts of Life". Ad agency head Joyce Beber tells about what it's like being terminated by the Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley (3 times). Martha McCulley was axed for no apparent reason (or because she was too good!) from a major fashion magazine. How do these things happen? Writer Annabelle Gurwitch asseses the phenomenon, brings in facts, statistics, even Robert Reich to speak to the issue. It's a wonderful book. The only reason you put it down is because you're laughing too much.