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The Secret History of the Office

Michael Krigsman, CC via Flickr

In a new book, the writer Nikil Saval uncovers a fascinating history in the most banal place: the office. Whether it’s the “dismal little cell” of Scrooge’s counting-house or the tricked-out, sprawling campuses of Google, Saval says the office holds the promise of respectability, utopian possibility and upward mobility. It can also be a place of soul-crushing tedium and conformity. Saval joins us Monday to explain where the office comes from, why it’s the way it is, and how it could be better.

Nikil Saval is an editor of the magazine n+1. His new and first book is called Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace [Amazon|Indiebound].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.