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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Help Wanted
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Claire M. (Wrentham, MA)
Help Wanted
Someone is going to be promoted at Town Square. When that happens, other positions will undoubtedly open in whichever department spawns the new store manager. In the warehouse department known as Movement the smart guess among team members is their manager, Meredith, will get the coveted spot. The question is, who from the team will then replace Meredith?
Adelle Waldman knowledgeably sets the scene behind the sleek sales floor of a major corporate retail chain. From the moment the doors hiss open revealing the gritty backside of the store we are in another realm entirely. Over four days leading up to the corporate visit to select the new store manager, we meet the members of the disparate backroom team: the old guys, the lead workers on the conveyer, the thrower, the newbies, and lower-level supervisors, all looking for a lucky break. They keep the sales flowing by unloading goods and stocking shelves in the early hours leading up to store opening. As Meredith positions herself to gain the coveted promotion, she pressures team members to complete each unload on tight time limitations. Tension mounts as they learn they will be interviewed by the corporate reps about their boss. Do they support Meredith or undermine her?
The opportunity to advance doesn't come along often. Chapter by chapter Waldman introduces the lead workers grappling with their individual hardships, hopes and dreams. The golden ticket of promotion could mean new stability in the lives of a lucky few. Workers become allies encouraging and coaching one another, while scheming for their own ends. Can they succeed?
Contemporary economic realities of profit and loss play out on multiple levels in Waldman's insightful novel. In her compassionate rendering, each character's desperation and motivation are foregrounded in contrast with that of the others. The formerly faceless workers behind the scenes become individuals we can invest in. Who will win promotion?
Suspense mounts as the decision day approaches. The numbers in columns on a spread sheet have become human chess pieces. Who will advance and who will be sacrificed? Waldman shows us how "making ends meet" for workers in the retail economy depends on more than hard work alone. Global market fluctuations, downturns that limit hiring and layoffs that bleed the remaining employees add up to business practices that impact individual workers and families every day.
If Town Square sounds like a national brand in your town, you are on target. Reminiscent of Last Night at the Lobster, Stewart O'Nan's 2008 novel of employees at the closing of a Red Lobster restaurant, Help Wanted depicts the emotional life of a retail community that will rise or fall on the resilience of its members.
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Donna C. (Pismo Beach, CA)
A Much-Needed Look at Who Surrounds Us
Dreams and options, hopes and frustrations exist in so many forms for this group of skillfully characterized employees in a retail chain store. The details of both their lives and their work are written with compassion and deliver the reader into a largely unknown and unheralded universe. This is such an important story, told through fiction, but one that generates much needed awareness and understanding for the good of humanity. I laughed and cried, cringed and applauded each of these remarkably created characters as they made their way through the book.
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Patricia W. (Desoto, TX)
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman
I loved this book. It was so interesting to read about the people who worked in the early morning to unload the delivery trucks at a retail store. Each had his/her own challenges and life situations that influenced where and when they could work. Some workers had to deal with snafus with social services, childcare problems, lack of transportation, unreliable living arrangements, and relationship turmoil. Some of their hardships were compounded by actions that the retail store implemented, including changes in their work hours, too few work hours to qualify for insurance, and unrealistic goals for each work day. Also, much of management was out of touch with the workers and lacked an understanding of their needs. In contrast, the retail store was up against some new challenges of its own, primarily the need to compete with online stores which have some unique advantages.
Relationships, support systems, and friendships are necessary for people to navigate life. Waldman highlights this while revealing the quirky characters. My book club will enjoy discussing this story. Years ago, we read Nickel and Dimed. Help Wanted is a bit of a fictional version of it.
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Nanette S. (San Pierre, IN)
Help Wanted
Thank you Bookbrowse and the publisher for sending an advance reading copy of this book.
Using a mundane topic about working in a big box store and turning it into a very interesting storyline in Help Wanted, worked! I enjoyed seeing the relationships between co-workers and bosses, with the myriad of reasons behind each character working for that company, and their exchanges between each other, held my attention throughout this story. In my opinion, it shows every life is worthwhile and every job is important, to both themselves and the people one may work with, as well as the company itself. For a company to survive and thrive within a neighborhood, it is only as good as its employees, no matter what the job description may be.
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Marie M. (Rochester, MN)
Help Wanted
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman centers around employee interactions in a big box store and deals with the issue of who has the power and who wants the power. It provides a good description of how one uses/misuses their power and the lengths some will go to keep as far away from power as possible. A highlight of this book was the very well-formed characters as they band together in the struggle to get what they want. By the end of the ebook, I felt like I knew the characters so well I could do performance reviews. Wit and insight made this book an enjoyable read. Although a four star for me, I feel this book would be a 5-star for those who have lived the experience.
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Nancy B. (Rochester, NY)
Hidden Help
This was not an easy read, and I was reluctant to enter the hidden world of the human beings who support our insatiable desire for more "stuff," IMMEDIATELY. Like many of the systems that provide those of us who have some bit of privilege, I'd prefer not to know about the hidden side of the mega-stores, willfully ignoring the human beings on whose shoulders this privilege rests.
But they are US and deserve our acknowledgement and respect. I will never look at a carefully stacked sweaters in the same way.
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Julie Z. (Oak Park, IL)
Help Wanted
Having spent almost twenty years working in a "big box" bookstore, much of this book rang true. While Help Wanted was character driven, making it both interesting and fun to read, the underlying message about what this type of store does to their workers is very realistic. Waldman highlighted the single mom, the ex-con, the student, and others who have not had a shot at a middle management 40 hr per week job, and what their struggles are. The varying schedules where one can never plan ahead or budget, the quotas that are always unattainable, all make for miserable work conditions. I appreciated this novel for both its humor and realism.
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