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What They Say About Job Hopper 
Dylan Foley, Actress and writer Halliday proves that the slacker life doesn't end at 25. In her new memoir, she provides an account of her fist-to-mouth existence in Chicago. All told, she held 47 jobs, from nude model to illegal massage therapist. This is no sob story, though. Halliday handles her experiences with wit. She still followed her dreams of becoming a star in the alternative theater scene, and was later saved from becoming a 60-year-old temp by marrying Greg Kotis, who went on to write the hit "Urinetown." Artsy men and women trapped in dead-end jobs, take heart: Halliday admits bad bosses are all over, but life in the trenches in worthwhile with an iron-clad sense of humor.
William Grimes, One particularly fecund minor category is the bad-job memoir, which has brought out the bitter best in writers ever since George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" ... Two brilliant examples are "A Working Stiff's Manifesto," by Iain Levison, and "Job Hopper," by Ayun Halliday. Ms. Halliday, the author of an anti-travel memoir called "No Touch Monkey!," evokes the low-grade horrors of telephone solicitation, waitressing and minding the stuffed polar bears at a children's museum. Her misery resonates on that dismal frequency all too familiar to the overeducated, underemployed and undercompensated.
Adrienne Martini, Halliday's writing is spunky and honest and hysterical. Her recent collection, Job Hopper: The Checkered Career as a Down-market Dilettante, chronicles Halliday's continual employment challenges without ever descending into trite whining about the boss man. The pieces add up to a whole story about a woman figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up and, surprisingly, finding it.
Courtney S. Ries, Halliday's recountings of her numerous — and varied — jobs were a pleasure to read. Most adults can relate to her dealings with troublesome customers, meddling bosses and jobs where you wished your shift was over before it even began. Granted, Halliday's foray into dressing like a Sesame Street character, nude modeling and costume design may be a bit unusual, but as she's quick to point out, her university degree in theatre must be good for something. Despite the scary academia-and-economics entrenched title, dilettante is the biggest word in the book. Readers will discover Job Hopper a quick read — Halliday writes in a laid-back, personable style as she combines narrative and dialogue to provide the reader with a sense of what it must have been like telling customers "I'm sorry, but I cannot facilitate a sexual release for you," or being classified as "not-FOA — Front Office Appearance." "Hilarious and painful ... Takes me back to my days of working a series of flunky jobs, before I settled on one to keep for thirty five years." "Un(der)paid artiste keeps body and soul together without selling either. And yes, I too scrubbed pit stains out of bunny costumes." "A truly hilarious lesson in gratitude. Ayun Halliday's misadventures in jobland remind us to thank our lucky stars when we finally land a gig that doesn't make us want to hurt ourselves or others. (Not to mention one that doesn't require us to wear panty hose.)" "Ayun Halliday is the consummate dilettante, dissecting her checkered career with razor wit and a discerning eye for the best absurdities — a bright, beautiful gem of a book." The Job-Hopping Facts: Title: Job Hopper Hop on over to Powells.com and Buy the book online!
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