An intimate portrait of London life in the first decade of the 21st century, this study reveals the "lived reality" of metropolitan labor--its satisfactions and frustrations, positives and negatives. Based on interviews with working people, this is a story of unsung heroes and heroines, of bus drivers, shop-keepers, metro workers, computer programmers, artisans, teachers, and entrepreneurs--the everyday people whose labors underwrite Britain's economic powerhouse.