INVISIBLES  |  SWIMMING INSIDE THE SUN  |  KEEP GOING  | ALL NOW WITH WINGS

Invisibles

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“A fascinating tour of the hidden landscapes on which human society actually operates. This will change the way you see the world and, hopefully, your place within it.”
– Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock

“Top Business Book To Read in 2014”
– Adam Grant, QZ.com

“Expect Invisibles to be highly influential.”
– Nilanjana Roy, author of The Wildings and writer for the International New York Times

“Invisibles explains why some of the world’s most talented, accomplished people choose to fly under the radar. An excellent book.”
– [infopopup:grantreview], Wharton professor and bestselling author of Give and Take

“The genius at the top doesn’t make their team look good. It’s a great team that makes the guy at the top look like a genius…and Invisibles proves it.”
– [infopopup:Sinek], bestselling author of Start With Why

“Invisibles is a one-book cultural revolution,, fighting the current cultural tide toward narcissistic self-promotion with the truth that real satisfaction is often silent.”
– [infopopup:Twenge], co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic

“Building upon his 2012 Atlantic article “What Do Fact-Checkers and Anesthesiologists Have in Common,” in his nonfiction debut, journalist Zweig presents an entertaining, good-natured exploration of the mindsets and psyches of “invisibles”—people whose passions have required years of training and experience, but who happily toil in obscurity for the love of the work itself, rather than fame. As Zweig notes, it’s this very single-mindedness in the quest for excellence—and the emphasis on getting the job done—that research suggests correlates with both happiness and business success. The book’s strength is in Zweig’s portraits of those dedicated workers behind the scenes, including a ghost writer; a perfume maker for celebrity brands; a structural engineer; an interpreter at the United Nations; a cinematographer; and a guitar tech for rock bands. The author’s genuine respect for his subjects shines through and keeps these stories lively.”
Publishers Weekly

“An encouraging salute to the world behind the scenes, where the “Invisibles” allow the show to go on. Journalist Zweig suggests, with considerable merit, that, in our culture of wanting it all, we have forgotten the hard work of getting there—that to be Tom Brady quarterbacking on Sunday, you must also be a game-film drudge and a gym rat. More to the point, that invisible work has its own beauty and meaning. The author points to people who take pride in elevating anything to an art, who lose and find themselves in projects that make a significant impact on our lives, leaving us happy while delivering the pleasure and self-respect from doing the job properly. Zweig profiles a handful of highly skilled individuals “whose roles are critical to whatever enterprise they are part of”—e.g., the perfumer behind Sean Combs’ fragrance Unforgivable (Combs became “the first male celebrity with a prestige cologne”); the structural engineer who enables the architect’s vision of a skyscraper; and, perhaps most impressive, the U.N interpreter who “hears one language, interprets it into another language in her head, then speaks the new language while at the same time continuing to listen to and interpret the next lines of the original language, a practice known as simultaneous interpretation….As long as the speaker is talking, she is interpreting.” Zweig notes three traits that these unsung individuals possess: responsibility, meticulousness and ambivalence regarding recognition. These traits are fine, to be sure, but the author’s vignettes really drive the point home. Guitar tech, fact checker, piano tuner, cinematographer, ghostwriter et al.—it is workmanship, curiosity, demanding internal standards, deep immersion and cooperative instincts that bring a rewarding life. In Zweig’s fascinating world, the limelight doesn’t hold a candle to the satisfaction of hard work well done.”
Kirkus Reviews

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