I know a lot of people like Shop Class as Soulcraft, but I found the author's rosy glasses and philosophy about the "dignity" in manual labor to be extremely tiresome. There is an irony that really didn't transition to crappy m/c mechanic like the book would have you believe, but rather to an author with a best selling book.
Granted I also think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of the most overrated books ever, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Sure, it is a little overblown, but I think for the intended white-collar audience, somewhat necessary. The typical reader of his book has probably always considered manual labor to be something "other people" do.
