Blown Sideways Through Life

Book excerpt: Dubbed The Ultimate Working Girl by Newsweek, Claudia Shear takes readers on a wild adventure through the American work force in Blown Sideways Through Life. Have you ever held down a job for money rather than love? Put up with an impossible boss? Been told when and how often to visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone? Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend on what you do? Meet Claudia Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing the starring role in the upcoming film, Body Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious tour de resume. But underneath is a universal lesson learned about life in the workplace.