Rating: 
Summary: Dishonesty negates book's value
Review: Fascinating book i had been trying to read for a while; it took going to hospital for surgery to actually finish it ~ wonder if that means anything? It was similar to the book i expected to read, though not quite the same. I had, with all the blurb and publicity about Ehrenreich's activity, expected to see her take several minimum wage type jobs over several areas of the country, and see if she was able to survive ~ or, rather, to what extent she was not able to survive, since i already knew that she didn't. What i was not prepared for was the slipperiness with which Ehrenreich approached her self-set task. In no way, as she reports it, did she make an honest attempt to live within the means she was able to raise: At one point she declined lodging a woman truly in her position would have had to take; at other points she mentions spending money on, at the least, unnecessary meals out.I was also surprised by the ease with which Ehrenreich slipped in and out of dishonesty; perhaps it is a necessary corollary to the deception which underlies the book as a whole. Some smaller examples: Ehrenreich states that she certainly is "not working an eleven hour shift, not without time and a half after eight" though she must know (her footnote implies it) that there is no law compelling extra pay for hours per day ~ it is hours per week that count. In Maine Ehrenreich and her group loudly and obnoxiously cruise the neighbourhood in their company car, clearly not the purpose for which it was given them. Perhaps by the time she got to Minnesota and the selling at Wal-Mart she was getting tired of what she was doing; that is surely the kindly way to look at her behaviour because, by her own account, she did not give Wal-Mart value for the money they paid her. Instead, she set about trying to be disruptive from within ~ a highly dishonest activity. Like many of a liberal bent, Ehrenreich seems to have that very convenient ethic that the end justifies the means, and if anyone ~ especially anyone who thinks differently or has "too much" money ~ is hurt in the process, oh well. I find that my ethic will not permit me to have such an openly contemptuous view of morality, and for that reason if no other, have to reject Ehrenreich's activities and, until such a thing can be done properly, her results.
Rating: 
Summary: Insult to my (and yours) intelligence
Review: A middle-class WASP that goes slumming and discovers that the getto inhabitants have a hard time. Very surprising. I'm an old "white-trash made good" boy, and this must be the most insulting book I ever read about being at the bottom parts of society. I mean, she doesn't even try to hide her extreme prejudices against the trash. Don't insult your intelligence by reading this (unless you're a WASP, of course).
Rating: 
Summary: The Real Truth about Life
Review: Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, is the most intellectual book I have ever read. It's all about a woman in a difficult world to live in. Having to make so many sacrifices to buy her needs and wants in her life. It's not a book about fairy tales or fiction, but about real life and real people. Everything she describes about her work is not only describing herself but people around the world as well. Coming from a luxurious world to a spartan lifestyle, Ehrenreich struggles to earn money,find a job and a home as well. She describes the events that happen in her work place which is not at all great. She informs us, the readers, about how tough it is for her fellow co-workers to survive in an inadequate environment. What is so great about this book is that it does not make up stories about a lonely woman meeting a perfect guy and live happily ever after(for example). Instead it talks about real life issues and how it effects the economy. When people talk about the economy going from prosperity, recession, depression and recovery, this novel shows us that it does not work this way with everyone. The population still struggles no matter what level the government says it is. We, the people, still have to make so many sacrifices to provide not only for ourselves but for our family too. Ehrenreich explains that much and even more. She describes a lot of people in this novel. From the south to the north, and the east to the west. Many people have to spend money for food, shelter, and clothes. If you include bills, you can imagine how much that is.
This is why I give this novel what it truly deserves,5 stars. I f I could i would give it eight, for being so enlightning.
Rating:
Summary: American survivors
Review: What working hard and getting nothing back is really all about? Barbara Ehrenreich's overall view on the low wage working life is nothing but truth. As a member of a low wage-working group, I can tell and agree with all the ideas that are portrayed in Nickel and Dimed. Working hard and getting almost nothing back is a hard thing to do. But it is a reality that workers now in days have to go through in order to make it in the US. To me it is not shocking to hear about all kind of thins that workers have to go through in order to get things done for the people in wealth. Living in a world like this getting paid $5.50 to $7.00 an hour is almost impossible if you have children or if you are on your own but have to pay rent or other expenses such as car insurance and other unnecessary things. To get through in this world in a low wage job you have to have at least two jobs in order to survive this world. I wish someone could do something about it and help out the people who work assiduously and get paid almost nothing. Maybe this book will make a contribution and open people's minds to help the low wage-working group. If it can open someone's eyes then I guess in sometime it will open other people too.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Look at the Worst Jobs
Review: This book is great at providing a glimpse into what life would be like working full-time at some of the worst jobs out there: as a maid, Wal-Mart salesperson, etc. However, most people probably have some experience with crappy minimum-wage jobs back in high school. If you've forgotten how bad those jobs were or have never worked one, I highly recommend this book. Beyond that, I'm not sure how useful the book is. The author purposefully seeks out the worst jobs, which of course she will find. For example, she leaves a waitressing job to seek out a job as a hotel maid. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would work their way up in waitressing to better, higher-tipping restaurants. Everyone knows that being a hotel maid is one of the worst jobs out there, but she is dedicated to working as one. If anyone purposefully seeks substandard jobs, it's not especially surprising that they will find them and that they're going to be quite bad. I think a better issue to explore would be why people end up in these jobs. The author also tries to portray these jobs as challenging and deserving of respect. If these jobs are equally challenging, but pay virtually nil, that again raises the issue of why people end up in these jobs. On the other hand, there are real people working these jobs full-time beyond their high school years. They are human beings and we should empathize with them. A lot of them probably were trapped in these jobs because they made mistakes in their youth, and now they have no free time to get an education or otherwise improve themselves. I for one would like to know the "why" of their low socioeconomic positions. I would also think that education or similar self-improvement would do them better than something like unionizing, which would probably only increase their pay a few dollars per hour. Basically, I thought the book was a good look at the lower rungs of the social strata, but it left a lot unsaid.
Rating: 
Summary: Just the Basics
Review: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, written by Barbara Ehrenreich, is a well-written book. However, this book should only be used just for the basics to learn about those who work at low-paying jobs. This book does not cover the major and fastest growing of poor people, which is working single mothers who work at the low-paying jobs. Since the welfare reform of 1996 a lot of mothers are working at some of these low-paying jobs that Barbara Ehrenreich has based her research on. I wonder how those mothers get by. If Ehrenreich have done a section on that, then the readers who have gotten a more of a perspective on what is really going on. She could have based her research on interviews of single working mothers who have kids to support.
Rating:
Summary: Only A Beginning
Review: Working for $7.00 per hour or minimum wage was never meant to sustain a middle income lifestyle. Minimum wage is a start, but the most important thing to do is to obtain a formal education. If you are smart and poor and can prove yourself academically, you can get a scholarship. Take one step at a time and you will climb. We live in America -- don't ever think you have to settle for $7.00 per hour. The author exposes problems within our society, but there have been problems since the colonial era and will continue to be problems. As long as we are progressing as a country, the bar will be raised higher and higher for individual achievement. Americans should get off their laurels.
Freedom is not free!!!
Rating:
Summary: Beginning positions?
Review: Barbara Ehrenreich is quite honest in the book both about who she is and where she comes from and also about the limitations of her project. Despite several rather prejudiced comments ( this book is very honest) which have left many readers cold the book is an accurate portrayal of life at and near minimum wage ( or less). One may be able to get by on less but only by effectively becoming a bum. Ms Ehrenreich makes no attempt to hide her own feelings about either the situations or the people and she makes no attempt of any kind to justify or apologize for her background or feelings. Those who are bothered by total honesty from another person will probably not like this book. Also, in the last chapter and in several other places Ms. Ehrenreich's lack of knowledge of economics is apparent. The opinions she expresses on how best to remedy the situation are almost certainly useless. But that is the point of the book: if she is wrong what is the correct solution? The book is really an attempt to get a dialog going. Unfortunately, this attempt will fail just as surely as others in the past. At least she got a lot of people thinking about the subject. One more thing - whenever raising the minimum wage comes up employers are fond of pointing out that most people working minimum wage jobs are young people using them as starting positions and jumping stones to better paying jobs. This book gives the lie to that notion.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent observations of the working poor.
Review: Aside from the fact that I began to wonder if the author was actually stoned when she wrote the book (she made references to this), this was a fairly good book.
Barbara Ehrenreich sets out to prove that working for minimum wage in the US while trying to eat & have a roof over your head is extremely difficult. Frequently, she'll scour the want ads only to realize that these companies aren't actually hiring, they're just want to be able to have applications on hand if/when someone quits. Finding a place to live was no easy task either. When you're working for [money amount]/hour it's pretty difficult to come up with first & last months rent, even though, I feel, that the author cheated somewhat because she brought her savings with her so that she could afford the first & last. Some of the work conditions are rather ignorant. No meal breaks, no talking with other employees, no standing around, etc... It's unfortunate that a lot of people don't have the option to quit and go to some better job.
Rating:
Summary: The moneylenders got Jesus out of the temple
Review: This stunning book learns us that 60 (sixty) % of the US working class doesn't earn a 'living' wage as determined by the Economic Policy Institute (14$/h for a family of 1 adult and 2 children).
Barbara Ehrenreich's 'life' investigation of the millions of US citizens who earn half of that, is a real shocker. It is the story of a daily desperate struggle for survival without normal housing, food or childcare, as well as no civil rights during the working shift.
As the author brutally states: the aim is that those people surrender their self-respect.
Into the bargain, 'the poor have disappeared from the culture at large, from political rhetoric, from daily entertainment, from religion'. Indeed, the moneylenders got Jesus out of the temple.
While in fact, as Barbara Ehrenreich rightly remarks, 'the working poor are the major philantropists of our society ... they neglect their own children, so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that others will be shiny; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high ... they give, and give ...'(p.221) What is also astounding is the resignation of the gross majority of the underpaid; no revolt, no reactions of discontent. All in all, this book poses the question of human dignity which the most powerful nation in the world cannot give to a big chunk of its population. A fact that the glittering powerful (and the media they control) conceal from the rest of the world. A shame. An important and revealing report about a hidden aspect of the US society.
A must read.
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