Free (Kindle DRM-free) Counter Culture: Coffee Shop Waitress [Anthropology Artbook]

[ATDrake]

Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress by oral historian Candacy A. Taylor is her lavishly photo-illustrated layperson-friendly ethnographic study of Exactly What It Says In The Title, free courtesy of the author herself, who is e-printing it from its 2009 Cornell University Press paperback edition (which is still listed as the official publisher on the product page, but this is DRM-free and done via KDP Select, whereas the official in-print CUP books are DRMed and available in multiple stores).

This is actually very nifty, with lots of personal experience stories etc. alongside the cultural backgrounders and media perceptions and is part of a multimedia project including a documentary and some other stuff, which is listed on the book's page over at the author's official website where there's some multimedia audio/video clips for you to enjoy, and has much editiorial and quoted blurb praise from major outlets and personages such as pioneering feminist Gloria Steinem (Wikipedia).

Currently free (and DRM-free) for anywhere up to the next 4 days probably remaining @ Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much worldwide, since it's being done as a KDP Select exclusive-or-else thing).

This has a 42 meg filesize which you might prefer not to download via 3G if you've data plan limits.

And this has been the (late!) selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Because I just love these sorts of ethnographic looks at miniature subcultures-within-cultures, and I love even more getting a nice-looking and professionally done one that originally came out from a dedicated academic imprint, for free (and DRM-free)!

Enjoy!

Description
Counter Culture celebrates the well-seasoned waitresses who race to our tables, argue with the cooks and bring humor and culture to the American roadside dining experience. It's a window into the lives of career waitresses who have worked in diners for up to sixty years. They do more than serve food. They are part psychiatrist, part grandmother, part friend and they serve every walk of American life: from the retired and the widowed, to the wounded and the lonely, and from the working class to the wealthy. This book takes a moment to honor and recognize these American icons and their contribution to our communities.

In large cities and small towns across the country the best diners are more than restaurants, they are neighborhood institutions that bring communities together. From the Gold 'N Silver in Reno, Nevada, to the Sip 'N Bite in Baltimore, Maryland, these places are not defined by their menus or decor but by the waitresses who have established bonds with their customers and their communities over decades of service.

Author, Candacy Taylor (a former waitress herself) traveled more than 26,000 miles throughout the United States collecting stories of these "lifers" aged fifty and older who have been working in diners for most of their lives.Their compelling stories are complemented and enhanced by Taylor's striking photographs.

Taylor expected that the waitresses would feel overworked and under-appreciated but she was surprised and delighted to find that the opposite was true. These women said they loved their jobs and, even if given the opportunity, they "wouldn't do anything else." They believe memorizing orders keep their minds sharp and the physical demands of the work are helping them to age well. They generally make more money from serving regular customers and their seniority status earns them respect from their coworkers and managers. Taylor's sensitive and respectful portrayal of career waitresses who have made their job into a rewarding lifetime pursuit turns "Counter Culture" into an invaluable portrait of the continued importance of community in our changing society.