This vital and compelling collection of stories about work, compiled by novelist and short-story writer Richard Ford, explores tales of how we Americans are employed; how we find work and leave it; how it excites, ennobles, occasionally debilitates, but often defines us. Contributing writers for Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar range from contemporary Pulitzer Prize winners Edward P. Jones and Jhumpa Lahiri to iconic short-story masters Tobias Wolff, Annie Proulx, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as emerging writers such as Lewis Robinson. Encompassing a wide range of contemporary literary styles, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and geographical locations, Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar is a masterful, exhilarating, and timely fictional exploration of work and its relationship to the human spirit. All author proceeds from Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar: Stories of Work will go directly to fund the free youth writing, tutoring, and publishing programs offered by 826michigan. “A rich compendium that seeks to define, defend and explain the importance of work using complex characters that range from a veteran waiter aboard a train to a lauded but aging poet seeking his muse in Italy.” - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers “This book is worth a read. I learned a few things, smiled a time or two and made myself a promise to leave very, very good tips for the next delivery man who comes to our house.” - New York Times This vital and compelling collection of stories about work, compiled by novelist and short-story writer Richard Ford, explores tales of how we Americans are employed; how we find work and leave it; how it excites, ennobles, occasionally debilitates, but often defines us. Contributing writers for Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar range from contemporary Pulitzer Prize winners Edward P. Jones and Jhumpa Lahiri to iconic short-story masters Tobias Wolff, Annie Proulx, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as emerging writers such as Lewis Robinson. Encompassing a wide range of contemporary literary styles, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and geographical locations, Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar is a masterful, exhilarating, and timely fictional exploration of work and its relationship to the human spirit. All author proceeds from Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar: Stories of Work will go directly to fund the free youth writing, tutoring, and publishing programs offered by 826michigan. Richard Ford is the author of  The Sportswriter ;  Independence Day , winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award;  The Lay of the Land;  and the  New York Times  bestseller  Canada . His short story collections include the bestseller  Let Me Be Frank With You ,  Sorry for Your Trouble , Rock Springs  and  A Multitude of Sins , which contain many widely anthologized stories. He lives in New Orleans with his wife Kristina Ford. Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar Stories of Work Harper Perennial ISBN: 978-0-06-202041-3 Chapter One James and I have been worrying about things. I?m bored, restless, and in late afternoon always depressed. He tries to be helpful. The children are not too bad. My education is more than adequate. I understand what?s happening as it happens. Still, I?m powerless. At four I get morose, by five I am tearful. When James comes home I look as if I?ve been pinched by devils all day long. ?Every day is driving me crazy,? I say. ?I don?t want to fall victim to the malaise of the times.? ?You need to get out. You need to do something. A job,? he says. ?What about a business?? I say. ?Something small enough to afford, big enough to make me proud of my achievement and aware of my responsibility.? James is a solid man. Around him I shouldn?t be so sad. ?I?m open for anything,? he says. ?Give it a try. But first let?s get down to brass tacks.? We discuss insecurity, the care of the children, guilt, the dinner hour, vacations, the minimum wage, tax brackets, the effects of the climate on perishables, growing old, profits, and free time. ?What the hell,? James says, ?small business made this country. I?m with you one hundred percent.? I call my friend Jeannie, who wants to be my partner. She has no children but is going crazy anyway. In Peru, where she grew up, there was always a clutch of servants to iron her pure cotton clothes. Here, she has no help and can?t get used to permanent press. Every- thing she wears is heavily starched. You can hear her fabrics moving down the hall. ?I?ll be a partner to anything,? she says. ?My father grew up on the pampas of Argentina. He skinned cattle and walked among bulls. I can?t go two blocks from my apartment without worrying about some black man cutting my throat. Also, being out in the world will improve my English. We have two thousand dollars saved for a Christmas trip to Peru. I?ll risk it.? ?What about Bill?? I ask. ?He doesn?t want to go anyway. He is ju