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to dwell on that. He was clinging to what he called the \"bright side.\" He enjoyed bantering with customers at Whole Foods. He was pleased when an elderly woman brought him a treat after he helped her get in and out of his cab~it felt great to make a difference in people's lives and to be appreciated. Still, he wanted his career back. He knew the obstaclesems age, for one, worked against him. He wasn't naive. But he didn't believe that age was the essential problem. He believed the problem was him. And he had plans to fix that. He had enlisted a job counselor, had joined a support group, and, with his wife, was spending long hours rehashing the past in an attempt to make right whatever was holding him back, as well as preserve their marriage in the face of these new headwinds and challenges. The marriage, he said, teetered on the edge of his fragile ego, and his ego depended on his professional success. . \"For a long time I wanted~ to be who I am,\" he conded over chamomile tea in a cafe outside Boston. \"And I think that hurt me. Most companies, you've got to fit into their culture. And I guess I didn't always do that. It was always, you know, me. And I guess that wasn't what they were looking for. " Gorelick's career successes surpass those of most Americans. With all his savvy and privilege, we might believe, he should have known and planned better. He freely acknowledges that, and agrees that there is no shame in driving a cab or bagging groceries. Still, to many of us the outline of Gorelick's story may strike a familiar chord. We know how he feels because we've felt the same way, or know someone who has. Our job title is a sort of shorthand that in just one or two words captures who we are and where we stand in the minds of others, and in our own. If you doubt it, try this thought experiment. Close your eyes and picture Abe the fiftyeightyear-old supermarket cashier/cabdriver/ retail clerk. Now picture Abe the fty- eightyear-old senior vice president of marketing strategy. In your mind's eye do these menreally two versions of one manlook anything alike? I've introduced Abe Gorelick so early in the book not to evoke your sympathy but to sound the alarm. By almost any objective measure, he has done everything right. With his advanced degrees, sterling resume, and upbeat outlook, he is not the sort of guy we associate with bad job karma. He is an eager and wellconnected networker, a exible