Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (original 2001; edition 2008)

Written in 2000, seems like this might be a bit out of date, but not too much. I'm sure the situation of the "working poor" hasn't gotten any better under GWBush's tenure in office.
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On the heels of the welfare reform of the 1990s, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich sets out to live the life of a minimum wage earner. Her book details the experiences and challenges she faces as she tries to survive on minimum wage in three different areas of the country.

While I wasn't surprised by her experiences, I enjoyed reading her a-ha moments. Some of the other reviewers felt she was condescending regarding the lower socio-economic class, but I felt that her writing was genuine and that she really did not have any prior knowledge regarding the struggles of the working poor.

I wish this book was more up-to-date as it would have been a great pick for an American social studies classroom. ( )

I've been meaning to read this for years. Finally grabbed it...WOW. Much more interesting and readable than I had imagined, and I'd recommend it to anyone! Most especially, of course, to the people I feel need a wake up call, but what are the chances?
I liked all of it, especially the last chapter in which she reflects on what she's experienced and why people persist in taking these jobs. She also opened my eyes to the fact that it's not just jobs that people need to climb out of poverty. It's access to affordable housing, better public transportation, affordable and good quality child care, and health care. Loved this book. ( )

OK - kinda obvious. ( )

A recent conversation about homelessness has prompted me to consider the role that chance plays in our financial well-being. While it is certainly true that there are many factors within our control, from consumption habits to work ethic, I also believe that there are many factors outside of our control. We none of us can choose the family, community, or racial/ethnic/economic group into which we are born - all factors that strongly influence our chances of success. Likewise, we can neither predict, nor adequately prepare it would seem, for those unexpected disasters, whether medical or natural, which can destroy a lifetime of hard work in the blink of an eye.

These reflections reminded me in turn, of Barbara Ehrenreich's excellent book, Nickel and Dimed, in which the author attempts to discover how well she herself could live working unskilled, minimum-wage jobs. Divided into three main sections, the book follows Ehrenreich as she works as a waitress in Florida, a nursing-home aide and cleaning woman in Maine, and a Wal-mart associate in Minnesota. She quickly discovers that she is barely able to live adequately on what she earns, even when working two jobs, and concludes that the conservative mantra of advancement and betterment through hard work is largely an illusion for the working poor.

I have seen Ehrenreich criticized from both right and left, with reviewers accusing her of everything from advancing a socialist agenda to patronizing the working class with her "poverty tourism." As someone who thinks that socialized medicine and education would be of great benefit to our society, I am not unduly disturbed by the former. As for the latter, I am not sure just what it is people would have Ehrenreich do... If she were to live on the street, or temporarily "adopt" a few children, would her experience then seem more authentic? She acknowledges who she is, the privileges that she enjoys, and attempts to learn something about those less fortunate than herself. For that, I think she should be commended. ( )