Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press is an eye-opening examination of the jobs that society would rather not think about: prison guards, workers on the kill floor of a slaughterhouse, pilots targeting drone assassinations. “Dirty work”, as Press defines it, is work that’s harmful to animals and the environment, work that is considered morally compromised by society, and work that is dangerous to the people who do it. It’s easy as a society to both claim this kind of work as necessary and yet ignore the people who do it, Dirty Work argues. This is an illuminating read, especially amid a renewed focus on the role of essential workers during the pandemic. (Non-Fiction)