The reviewer connects Hu’s experiences to their own life in the United States, recalling personal jobs and the structural challenges of earning a living, highlighting a universal theme of precarious labor and the role of luck.

The memoir blends humor with sharp social critique, showing how constant low wages and lack of benefits erode workers’ humanity and dignity.

Hu’s background—hailing from a family with limited mobility and a culture that prizes collective progress over individual advancement—shapes his acceptance of limited opportunities and his choice of freedom over material gain.

Gig economy and platform work expose broader labor-right concerns, including the absence of unemployment insurance, minimum wage protections, and health benefits, as discussed with references to Human Rights Watch, CLASP, and Pew data.

The reviewer discusses Hu Anyan’s memoir I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, detailing his 19 low-wage gigs in China’s gig economy and concluding that capitalism undermines work, with luck steering financial outcomes.

Luck, not just effort, often governs financial stability, though perseverance and talent can drive success—as illustrated by Hu’s rise as a writer.

The piece closes with a call for a society where luck matters less and basic economic security is guaranteed, using Hu’s literary success and the reviewer’s improved situation to highlight shared human stakes in labor and aspiration.