Finally - a book that helps us understand why we are over-worked, over-burdened, anxiety-ridden, and stressed out in our daily lives. Conley contends that we have morphed into an Elsewhere society or class (mainly the upper third of professionals), blending modernistic trends and distinctions - work and leisure; home and office; private and public; and self and other - creating no boundaries, which in turn affects every aspect of our lives from work to families. In contrast and comparison to William Whyte’s “Organizational Man” of the 1950s, the Elsewhere class struggles to define their life and social entities amidst the constant social changes and advanced technologies that encompasses their lives.

This book is a mirror of social structure of the past to our evolving work and social changes of the present. I liked the look into the inner workings of Google (considered the center of the Elsewhere Society) and how the work environment has changed from a strict controlling behavior to a looser environment through the concept of virtual offices.

Elsewhere, U.S.A. is an informative look of how we came from “old school to new school,” the effects on our social fabric and personal lives. Recommended for everyone trying to understand how we ended up we are today.