Johnny hates his job, but by book's end, he's working it out

— -- Daniel Pink, author of best-sellers Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind, has written the first business book to be published in the USA in the style of Japanese illustrated manga: The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need.

Pink tackles serious issues in a humorous, hybrid fiction/non-fiction format, telling the story of the career journey of a young office worker everyman, Johnny Bunko. Pink is aided by the crackling artwork of Rob Ten Pas, an American who won the grand prize in the sixth Tokyopop Rising Stars of Manga competition.

In the beginning, Johnny is a miserable cube-dweller at the soul-killing Boggs Corp. By the book's end, he is a reasonably enlightened team player who has grown and developed under the guidance of a caring yet somewhat cynical genie named Diana.

Many people will recognize themselves in Bunko's predicament. He's slowly destroying himself in an accounting job, toiling for a boss he can't stand, and not doing particularly effective work, either.

One of the first things he learns, among six career/life lessons, is that there is no grand plan to life, especially not one that involves studying a subject you hate just because your parents think it will lead to a solid career. Pink doesn't say: Do something you love, and the money will follow. But he does say: Do something you love, make the most out of it and make sure it benefits people besides yourself. (Lesson No. 3: It's not about you.)

He recently received proof in his own life that some good fortune can't be planned for. Oprah Winfrey gave away copies of his 2005 book, A Whole New Mind, to the 4,666 graduates of Stanford University when she gave the commencement address there in June.

Johnny doesn't have Oprah, but Diana nudges him along. Despite setbacks, self-inflicted and otherwise, and close calls, he and his friends/co-workers Carlos and Yuko develop into a cohesive team that shows real promise.

Will they stay together as a team at Boggs, despite the crummy corporate culture? Will they form a start-up? And if so, what resources will they need and where will they find them?

It will take you only an hour or so to read this book, but when you put it down, you'll find you care about Johnny, Carlos and Yuko, and you'll think it would be nice to have access to your own Diana.