Gayle Pritchard : I always enjoy watching the Newshour, but last night's conversation by Jeffrey Brown with author Matthew Crawford was delightful. As a maker of objects for the past 30 years, it was refreshing to hear someone speaking about the value of making / doing things with our hands. I have found, when I teach workshops that are mainly full of wealthy, middle aged women, that my students have forgotten how to connect within, and are hungry to do so. There is a real connection between working with ones' hands, and learning to be still and "listen" to ones' soul. Thank you for the great and inspiring interview.

Caroline Reay,MD : I REALLY enjoyed this piece on the value of learning and doing a 'trade'. I feel that far too many people are "hustled" into office work as the author describes. I have to say that as a physician in primary care for the last 19 years, I see the end result: chronic depression.

Judith Pratt : Jeffrey Brown's September 8th segment on the News Hour with Matthew Crawford (author of "Shop Class as Soulcraft") addresses a significant longing on the part of the American psyche -- the desire to lead a satisfying and well-rounded life that a postindustrial and technological culture cannot always provide. Most Americans have family roots that can be traced to artisanal skills. While we may have moved away from those roots through college degrees and increasingly specialized work, we still retain the imprint of working with our hands. We still long to combine creativity and productivity with remuneration that may better be found in such areas as agribusiness, entrepreneurial pursuits, and artistic endeavors, to name a few. Since the onset of the industrial revolution in the late 19th century and the subsequent proliferation of technology, occupations involving manual skills have diminished dramatically. The once handcrafted is now mass produced or obsolete. The possibility of a collectible is now a throw-away. As a result, the need for skilled workers has diminished, the quality of products is reduced, and the sense of connection between the workforce and the consumer has become disconnected. To echo Mr. Matthews sentiments, it is important to honor the tradition of manual trade as a viable part of life, especially if that imprint and tradition can be traced from your own family roots. Matthew's use of the term "soulcraft" in the title of his book refers to the task of finding that which satisfies the individual life. The challenge becomes to avoid buying into a collective solution. www.judithmpratt.com

Debbie : Matt Crawford is correct about our having lost our ability to think responsibly for ourselves with the trend away from manual labor. We treat manual labor as if it were for the un-intelligent - how sad and how ridiculous. This trend has further caused our society to create wasteful and value-less jobs, like the explosion of billing specialists and PPO provider negotiators in our healthcare system when we run routine or incidental stuff through insurance needlessly. That's not what insurance is all about. But our "academia" has warped our society into being symptom reactionaries instead of problem solvers. Matt's says doing more hands-on will get us back on track. I agree. I plan on buying his book. It should be an interesting read.

Nicole : I very much enjoyed hearing from Matthew Crawford and I look forward to reading his book! As someone who has spent the past year managing bright, independent, passionate people while their "knowledge" jobs have been increasingly dumbed-down as though the discernment and creative skills that they were specifically hired for were suddenly obsolete -- I resonated with Dr. Crawford's articulate expression of the vocational pain and disconnection involved for many white collar workes. That said, I was disappointed with Jeffery Brown (who's work I usually thoroughly enjoy!). I couldn't help but feel his attitude throughout the interview slid toward the condescending side -- as though Brown secretly disdained vocations that got one's hands dirty. Of course, journalists are the quintessential "knowledge worker." Perhaps the emphasis on manual skill over "desk work" pushed a button? (Or perhaps, after my own long week of unsatisfying desk work, my own buttons had already been pushed.)

Jeremy : I can totally relate and connect with this. I am of the mindset, "have toolbag, will travel." I too am one who does with my hands. The old handymen are an endangered species. I've spent a great deal of time looking for "Fixers." I even built a business around recruiting those that can work with their hands, make their own judgments and control their own enviornments. I look forward to reading Mathew's book. -Jeremy -I fix broken pools, spas, and hot tubs Florida Leisure Pool & Spa www.FLLeisure.com

Amy Clarke : I am regular viewer and, once again, know why. Your feature "Shopclass as Soulcraft" with Matthew Crawford totally hit the mark and my "home." In the early '90's, I was hired to facilitate a grant(Perkins funds) obtained by 7 vocational teachers who banned together to reshape "shop" to prepare students for 21st century work. We brought academics into the curriculum, retrained the staff, etc. It took about 10 yrs, though, before the changes were fully incorporated and accepted. Now in my "retirement", I am working with a team to take the concept to the next level by using examples of inventors/patents and their path to successful innovation as a vehicle for learning and in teaching. go to www.inventerrific.com It is very gratifying to see what was a "too far out" idea finally reach the mainstream. As a teacher- my father as well- I have always seen students as learners who can achieve anything they choose- not as a catagory to be tracked based on the bias of some silly test or someone's limited assessment. Thank you, Matthew, for stepping and speaking.

Drew Carlson : Thanks for an informative interview. Many of my colleagues have recommended this book, and it is the next book I buy. I teach auto shop at a community college, and it is so refreshing to hear praise from an academic for the benefits of working with one's hands. It helps explain why I have re-entry students who already have a degree and an office job who enroll in automotive courses to find a career with more meaning.

Dooley : I have read this book and agree wholeheartedly. The satisfaction of working with your hands is unmatched. The individual clearly senses the value, it would be nice if as a society we encouraged this trait.