Working Days: Short Stories about Teenagers at Work

In this anthology of fifteen, nearly all original, contemporary short stories, teenagers go to work, many of them for the first time. They take jobs to earn pocket money or to help their families get by. Some have a goal, like college; others use work to try on an identity or as a step toward independence. They work in fast food restaurants, sell subscriptions by telephone, do odd jobs, clerk, tutor, harvest crops, and more ... in every instance, working brings them the unexpected. Whether the job is exciting or dull, something to avoid later on or a discovered vocation, these stories lead us - and their young protagonists - to realize that work is what we do, who we are, and an important connection to others. It helps us not only to survive but also to dream of new horizons.