The Quality Issue

About the Book

Quality is defined as a degree of excellence. Manufacturers boast of quality in their products. Customers demand quality in what they purchase. Ordinary people sometimes consider the quality of their lives.

Tony Krisik has become pessimistic about the quality of his life, as happiness seems to have become an unattainable dream. At age thirty-seven, Tony discovers that he merely exists “like a potted plant.” His unrewarding job at a Rust Belt factory only compounds his overwhelming misery. He hates his job, and in short, hates his life. His shaky sobriety is constantly being put to the test.

He works in a mundane engineering environment within a dinosaur corporation, where higher ups spout gibberish about creativity and continuous improvement. Spence Corporation, however, is hopelessly tangled in its own business-as-usual paradigms. A restructuring has introduced an influx of upper and middle managers, out of touch with Tony’s function, and the company as a whole. Tony battles daily with moronic supervisors and back stabbing coworkers; in addition to his inner demons, who offer the pseudo-happiness that comes in a bottle.

The agony of his boring and lonely existence is taken to a threshold, but a series of events unfold, forcing him to reflect on his values and goals. Will Tony surrender to his alcoholic impulses? Will he accept things as they are, despondently stating that “that’s life?” Will he shrug his shoulders, continuing his life stoically with the faint hope that maybe, someday, things might actually change for the better on their own? Or, will he bravely commit to an uncertain journey, risking the dubious security of a steady paycheck? Will he triumph over corporate hell, and find quality in his life?

Milwaukee, WI

April 14, 2000

About the Author

William Kozlowski began a drafting career in 1976 after graduating high school. He attended college for mechanical design and engineering while working his way up the ranks in the engineering field, specializing in heavy machinery and automotive related components. He is fluent in four Computer Aided Design systems (Unigraphics, Catia, Pro-E, and AutoCAD) and has served on various CAD committees, including the Wisconsin Unigraphics Users Association. He has taught classes in advanced surfacing, programming, and parametric solid modeling. A member of Mensa, he is single and currently resides in southeast Wisconsin. His eclectic interests include classic cars, painting, movies, history, nature, and fishing. He is working on a second novel.