100 WORDS PER MINUTE
Tales From Behind Law Office Doors
by Adina Sara
$15.00 / ISBN-10: 1-58790-092-0 / viii + 143 pages / paperback / 5.5” x 8.5”
Memoir
100 Words Per Minute—Tales From Behind Law Office Doors presents an intimate look inside the quirky world of law offices. The stories of tyrant and tired litigators along with their devoted, though sometimes devious secretaries come alive through a series of essays, punctuated by quick poetic jabs. The author’s career spans over twenty-five years of law office work, from naïve clerk typist in non-profit law, to stressed-out secretary in small plaintiff and large corporate firms, and finally to slightly elevated but no less conflicted office manager. Weaving humor and pathos together, 100 Words Per Minute takes a hard look back at the author’s unintentional career in the legal field, offering a raw perspective on uncelebrated office workers whose stories are rarely if ever told.
“Wry, witty, sometimes nasty, always insightful, 100 Words Per Minute offers a glimpse into what working within America’s legal system is really like. 100 Words Per Minute is a singularly delectable collection, whether the stories are savored a few at a time or all at once.”
—Midwest Book Review, March 4, 2007
“This is not a book that was sanitized into conventionality. Society doesn’t appreciate the millions of smart, hard-working office workers, and you’ve given such voice to them.”
—Marty Nemko, KALW Radio
“An extraordinary work indeed—a rare look inside the human heart of unrecognized labor, made visible by Sara’s forceful strokes of language.”
—Joseph Matthews, Author, The Lawyer Who Blew Up His Desk (Ten Speed Press, 1998)
“Don’t let the size fool you—this little stick of dynamite will blow you away. If you work for an attorney you have got to read this book.”
—Dee Sullivan, Paralegal, Author
“A touching, unpretentious examination of a lifetime of law office work, from fly-by-night operations to the antiseptic aisles of corporate cubicles. Paced for the coffee break, denizens of cubicles everywhere will recognize themselves and know that they are not alone in their isolation.”
—Blue Collar Review
Adina Sara has published two poetry chapbooks: To Be Filed, The Poetry of Office Work, and Garden Grown, inspired by all the mistakes she has made in her garden. Her short fiction, essays and poems have appeared in Peregrine: Journal of Amherst Writers & Artists, Oxygen Press, Cottage Gardener, East Bay Express, and Green Prints Magazine. She lives in Oakland, California, where she writes a feature gardening column, The Imperfect Gardener.
Other Books By Adina Sara