Audio only
Work in Progress
Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priestBy James MartinNarrated by James MartinLength11h 18m
About this audiobook
New York Times Bestseller In this humorous memoir, listen to New York Times bestselling author and podcast host of The Spiritual Life, Father James Martin as he shares the story of his life as a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, and corporate tool and, finally, a Jesuit priest.
"Funny, charming, inspiring and wise—this is a memorable memoir." — Stephen Colbert
Work in Progress is a snapshot of several years—first as a boy, then as a teenager, and finally as a young adult--of being thrown into a series of jobs for which Martin had zero training. He had never set foot in a restaurant kitchen before working as a busboy and dishwasher; never stepped onto a golf course before working as a caddy; and had never seen a factory floor before working as an assembly-line worker. He almost always felt uncomfortable, unsettled, and uneasy. But, like many of us, he needed the money.
This coming-of-age story is set in the 1960s and 1970s, a lighthearted tale for readers who enjoy personal narratives, and it’s unlike anything Father Martin has written before. As he puts it, "This is a spiritual memoir from a different angle … told 'slant' as Emily Dickinson might say."
Each chapter features photos of memories and milestones throughout Father Martin's young life. If you're an aficionado of snafus, you won't be disappointed. He's not the hero of these stories, more a hapless teenager who learns in each job, even the ones he loathes, something about the value of work, about what it means to be an adult, about people, and about life overall.
Work in Progress teaches us small but important life lessons such as:
work hard and be on time,
don't be mean, apologize when you need to, and forgive frequently,
ask if you don't know something,
don't misuse power,
pay attention to those who are struggling,
listen and, above all, be kind.
Martin shares, "My summer jobs, crazy and funny and varied as they were, had something to do with who I am. As we Jesuits would say, the lessons I learned helped to 'form" me."
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.3 (998)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon
GenreBiography and Memoir, Spirituality and Religion, Self-Help
Length11 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byJames Martin
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateFeb 3, 2026
LanguageEnglish
More from James Martin
JesusJames Martin18h 3m4.5 (6.8K)$40 · $0.00
The AbbeyJames Martin5h 14m3.9 (1.5K)$20 · $0.00
Learning to PrayJames Martin13h 24m4.5 (3.4K)$33 · $0.00
Come ForthJames Martin11h 23m4.6 (895)$29 · $0.00
Building a BridgeJames Martin2h 9m4.2 (3.8K)$16 · $0.00
Seven Last WordsJames Martin2h 5m4.4 (2K)$16 · $0.00
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) EverythingJames Martin14h 44m4.4 (9.2K)$33 · $0.00
Between Heaven and MirthJames Martin7h 50m$26 · $0.00
The Way of RoninTu Lam12h 9m4.9 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
Running to the FireKen Isaacs9h 47m4.9 (252)$20 · $0.00
Matters of the HeartJacinta Nampijinpa Price9h 35m4.8 (359)$29 · $0.00
The StepsSylvester Stallone9h 4m4.8 (637)$29 · $0.00
How to Test Negative for StupidJohn Kennedy8h 13m4.7 (9.7K)$28 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
Send MeMarty Skovlund, Joe Kent8h 10m4.7 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
John Muir: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth & Letters to a Friend (Annotated)John Muir10h 13m4.7 (1.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m4.7 (3.2K)$24 · $0.00
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m4.7 (5K)$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m4.7 (2.5K)$40 · $0.00
Evidence Not SeenDarlene Deibler Rose11h 11m4.6 (11.9K)$29 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m4.7 (351)$20 · $0.00
Will You Love Me?Cathy Glass9h 5m4.6 (9.3K)$29 · $0.00
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
HostageEli Sharabi5h 25m4.6 (10.8K)$24 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m4.6 (256.4K)$29 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (385)$20 · $0.00
The Way of RoninTu Lam12h 9m4.9 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
Proud Police WifeRebecca Lynn4h 52m4.8 (14K)$10 · $0.00
I Hear His Whisper 365 Daily Devotions (Gift Edition)Brian Simmons, Gretchen Rodriguez9h 23m4.8 (2K)$10 · $0.00
A Little God Time for Women Morning & Evening DevotionalBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC15h 15m4.9 (1.2K)$10 · $0.00
The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the GospelsSteve Laube, Amanda Jenkins, Dallas Jenkins7h 8m4.9 (823)$10 · $0.00
Prayers from the Throne RoomBrian Simmons8h 55m4.9 (256)$10 · $0.00
31 Decrees of Blessing for Your LifePatricia King2h 38m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
Running to the FireKen Isaacs9h 47m4.9 (252)$20 · $0.00
Loved BabySarah Philpott4h 51m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
The QuranAllah23h 7m4.7 (136.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Secret of the RosaryLouis de Montfort6h 1m4.7 (16K)$2 · $0.00
The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation and CommentaryAbdullah Yusuf Ali22h 16m4.7 (133K)$1 · $0.00
All of Grace (Annotated)Charles Spurgeon5h 1m4.7 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Steps to ChristEllen G. White3h 12m4.7 (13.8K)$2 · $0.00
The Doctrine and Selected CovenantsJoseph Smith13h 53m4.7 (10.4K)$0.99 · $0.00
BelovedFrancis Chan4h 59m4.7 (2K)$17 · $0.00
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God & Other Sermons (Annotated)Jonathan Edwards7h 51m4.7 (1.5K)$2 · $0.00
Swayam Ki AwaazPrem Rawat8h 34m4.7 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
Behind the BadgeAdam Davis10h 18m4.7 (2.7K)$10 · $0.00
The New Human Revolution, vol. 1Daisaku Ikeda7h 46m4.7 (669)$12 · $0.00
Learning to PrayJames Martin13h 24m4.5 (3.4K)$33 · $0.00
Truth Without ApologyAcharya Prashant6h 41m4.8 (2.2K)$18 · $0.00
Autism Out Loud: the instant New York Times Bestseller. Moving Stories and Parenting Lessons Learned from Three Mothers of Children with AutismKate Swenson, Carrie Cariello, Adrian Wood8h 41m4.8 (2.1K)$26 · $0.00
The StepsSylvester Stallone9h 4m4.8 (637)$29 · $0.00
Swayam Ki AwaazPrem Rawat8h 34m4.7 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m4.7 (5K)$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m4.6 (256.4K)$29 · $0.00
Spiritual AnatomyDaaji Kamlesh D. Patel9h 47m4.7 (319)$29 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (385)$20 · $0.00
The Gospel according to Spiritualism (Translated)Allan Kardec14h 39m4.6 (3.9K)$5.70 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Life on the BridgeKaelynn Partlow5h 40m4.6 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
Keep Your Love OnDanny Silk9h 4m4.6 (8.1K)$10 · $0.00
The Tao of Joy Every DayDerek Lin10h 24m4.6 (762)$20 · $0.00
UndividedVicky Beeching9h 2m4.6 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
HE CAN WHO THINKS HE CAN & OTHER BOOKS ON SUCCESSOrison Swett Marden5h 54m4.6 (1.2K)$0.99 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
You may also like
Marius the Epicurean (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)Walter Pater12h 36m3.7 (1K)$2 · $0.00
ArrowsmithSinclair Lewis18h 42m4.0 (11.6K)$2.40
Every Word You Cannot SayIain S. Thomas2h4.2 (12.7K)$15
Closer to LoveVex King9h 42m4.0 (2.5K)$8 · $0.00
Something Like an AutobiographyAkira Kurosawa9h 35m4.3 (5.9K)$20
Her AgainMichael Schulman10h 15m3.8 (3K)$29 · $0.00
Freefall to FlyRebekah Lyons4h 31m4.0 (1.7K)$20
Single, Gay, ChristianGregory Coles4h 23m4.3 (3.3K)$15
TransitionalMunroe Bergdorf4h 18m4.1 (1.3K)$20 · $0.00
Siddhartha - translated into EnglishHerman Hesse4h 12m4.2 (1M)$4.70 · $0.00
Running Down a DreamCandy Palmater8h 17m4.4 (432)$26 · $0.00
OF HUMAN BONDAGEWilliam Somerset Maugham29h 53m4.2 (82.9K)$0.99 · $0.00
10% Happier 10th AnniversaryDan Harris9h 28m4.1 (137.1K)$29 · $0.00
September LettersBrittany Snow, Jaspre Guest4h 6m4.1 (321)$20 · $0.00
A Body of WorkDavid Hallberg12h 10m4.5 (638)$23 · $0.00
THE INNER SHIFTJacob James46m5.0 (29) Only with Ultra
The Void Between UsJermaine Mccarthy49m5.0 (3) Only with Ultra
Clarity MappingAshley LeMieux1h 28m$16 · $0.00
The Journey Within: Healing, Identity, and Self-DiscoveryHernandez Evaristo44m4.9 (7) Only with Ultra
LOSTJackson Michael45m4.6 (47) Only with Ultra