Just as a caveat to all cubicle dwellers dreaming of happy fulfilling work getting their hands dirty . .

The review comes from the point of view (and perhaps the book does too) that "people" are trapped into meaningless jobs and useless educations and would find more fulfillment in manual labor. I don't dispute this, but remember that in the US, it is still true that only about a 1/3 of the population even completes a college degree. Thousands upon thousands of people work menial jobs that are just as atomized and unfulfilling as cubicle jobs but have worse pay and crappy healthcare benefits.

While some plumbers (in non-right-to-work states) may make good money, many many more of them work for plumbing outfits that pay them little more than minimal wage and have the disheartening requirements of things like monthly drug tests and having to wear uniforms. If the plumber is self-employed, we're back to the problem of healthcare -- (remember, this is the crisis that's been in the news a lot lately?)

Working with one's hands is good but lets not go overboard with romanticizing.

I don't care how good you are with your hands (and how many cubicle dwellers would really be competent cabinet makers?) if you work for someone as a manual labor worker, then there is always someone who will do it cheaper if not as well, and cheaper drives the market.

I do find it interesting that people that have an education in some specialty of business would assume that they could transition from their particular skills to some other discipline easily simply because that profession doesn't require a degree. Really, if you don't have the skill sets needed to repair a motorcycle, you aren't going to get a motorcycle running through sheer will to not work in a cubicle.

Think you could be as good a mail carrier as anyone else? Think again.