Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Work, Why? Diary of a Dreamer: The Anatomy of Greatness by Joel Bryant is a stark documentary of one man’s working life and how it reflects on corporate America. This is a deeply personal diary filled with profound insights. From the humorous to the dramatic, it captures the eight-hour work day in its guise of being fulfilling, but in actuality empty. In his prologue, the author states that much has happened since he hastened to follow his dreams twenty-one years ago. He sits in his workspace and describes his situation as a critical observer and a demotivated member of the workforce whose frustration seems to increase with every diary entry. He states that coming to work is boring and takes note that his co-workers are mostly poorly trained while the others are ill-placed.

There is one short message I want to send to Joel Bryant: I hear you, bro. I can relate to his lamentations, as I have my share of frustrating experiences trying to survive in the world of the rat race. Bryant’s proficiency at articulating his thoughts on the page wins your empathy. Is he a disgruntled worker? Not necessarily. He is just like you and me if you had ever experienced the false promise of work that is supposed to be fulfilling. Even if we consider that working conditions nowadays have changed dramatically by taking workers’ well-being into account and with improved labor practices and benefits, it doesn’t negate the fact that the Great Resignation is still taking place. Just look at the top results of Goggle’s predictive text when you type, My job is…. This will tell you that Bryant’s sentiments reflect that of everyone else’s. But is it that bad? Bryant also reveals his reflections about his belief in others, that each of us has greatness within. Work, Why? Diary of a Dreamer is more inspiring than depressing. It is the story of anyone who ever thought that they don’t belong to the culture that their workplace nurtures.