Petersen recounts the disturbing history of American work-culture, especially the ways in which markets began stripping employees of benefits and safety-nets such as pension funds. She blames market-based capitalism and lack of governmental regulations for how employees are now expected to train "off the job," among other things that companies don't want to shoulder. Emails, social media, and the necessity of "branding yourself" essentially mean that millennials cannot stop working, and as companies move to contractors and freelancers (due to the rise of consultancy-based gutting and "profit only" culture), many millennials must now navigate an uncertain future as full-time employment becomes an outdated model of work.

It's a fascinating critique of how unsustainable this all is for the millennial psyche. Petersen is pretty pessimistic overall and predicts that the U.S work culture will look similar to Japan's if things don't change. Minor complaint: Petersen's identity markers are a little unnatural and distracting because they are inconsistent throughout. For instance, she'll introduce Beth who "identifies as half-Asian" but will then introduce George who "is black." Then there's Bob who "considers himsef lower-class." I'm fine if she's committed to using identity markers, but just be consistent.