cover image Innervation: Rewire Yourself for the New Economy

Innervation: Rewire Yourself for the New Economy

Guy Browning. Basic Books, $20 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-7382-0660-8

British author and consultant Browning (Double Your Salary, Bonk Your Boss, Go Home Early) here offers a workplace manifesto for the New Economy. Browning's observations of modern office culture are trenchant, and he infuses his project with plenty of humor and offbeat sensibility. But it's a challenge to figure out what this book is trying to be, with its bizarre structure and uber-hip pretensions. Ultimately, the author seems to aim towards an explanation of how to ""make a success of life in the new economy and be happy at the same time."" And so he skips energetically between subjects like dealing with ""bastards,"" branding yourself, managing your boss, behaving at company meetings and even eating grapefruit for breakfast. Technology is indeed changing the way we work and interact, and any advice for career reinvention is always a popular topic. But to achieve that total personal redesign, readers might need a bit more than this quirky guide. (Apr.1)