Dubbed "The Ultimate Working Girl" by  Newsweek, Claudia Shear takes  readers on a wild adventure through the American work  force in Blown Sideways Through  Life.

Have you ever held down a  job for money rather than love? Put up with an  impossible boss? Been told when and how often to  visit the restroom, get a drink, use the phone?  Struggled to remember that who you are doesn't depend  on what you do?

Meet Claudia  Shear, a misfit from Brooklyn who grew up dreaming of  adventure. Shear rode a wild wave of employment  (sixty-four jobs in all) on her way to realizing  her dream of becoming an actress. Before landing  the starring role in the upcoming film, Body  Language, and scoring a deal with Steven Spielberg and  Jeffrey Katzenberg for her own sitcom, she worked  as (among other things) a pastry chef, a nude  model, a waitress (a lot), a receptionist in a  whorehouse, a brunch chef on Fire Island, a  proofreader on Wall Street (a lot), and an Italian  translator. On the surface her life makes for a hilarious  tour de resume. But underneath is a universal  lesson learned about life in the  workplace.