Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Rating:
Summary: dimed out
Review: I belong to a book club and we found this book quite unnerving. Nine women belong to the book club--some of whom are republicans, democrats, career women, homemakers, moms, etc. We were all in complete agreement in our hate for this book. One person even rated the book a "0" on the scale of 1 to 5. This book certainly got us fired up! We found the author very self-serving and at the same time very condescending. In our opinion, the author was snooty, judgmental, and definitely not politically correct! We thought the topic was of interest and would merit research but not in the way "Barb" conducted it!

We just thought someone should "dime out" this author!

Rating:
Summary: Evocative and provacative, if problematic
Review: Barbara Ehrenreich forsakes her relatively cozy life as a writer, lecturer, and generally well-educated person to take up low-wage jobs in three regions of the country. She lays down some ground rules for herself: she cannot rely on her higher education; she will not allow herself to become homeless; and she will take the highest-paying job.

It's an intriguing project, and the stories that come out of the project are equally intriguing. I could feel her desperation as she sought affordable housing, decent food, and a way of life that wouldn't break her, physically or mentally. Her stories about her co-workers were equally poignant.

This book definitely made me think more (than I already do, which is considerably) about the folks upon whose backs the middle and upper classes have made their fortunes: the low-wage workers who allow us to have cheap clothing, cheap meals, and cheap lodging. I was reminded of an exercise in a church group where we role-played and tried to balance transportation to and from job or day-care, rent, food, and health care on an inadequate income source. We were only role-playing, and I was nearly brought to tears out of frustration.

What surprised me a little (but perhaps shouldn't have) is how much pride people take in these jobs that seem designed to break their spirits, and how much hope they still have for the future. This makes it all the more sad to see how these people are used and exploited and broken by their employers and by oppressive company "rules."

While people in low-wage jobs do not have an easy life, and often find themselves living out of vehicles, for example, I think Dr. Ehrenreich made things more difficult on herself than she needed to. For example, while she describes frustration at dealing with charitable organizations, she never sought out any kind of community, such as a church or support group. She never tried to find someone seeking a roommate. She didn't interact with her co-workers off the job. She'd work her job(s) and go back to her skeevy motel room to write notes. While I'm sure some people find themselves isolated in a new town, I would think most in the same situation would seek out some sort of human support system. Also, I think Dr. Ehrenreich broke her own rule in Minneapolis when she turned down the superior pay at Menards to become a Wal-Martian.

But problems aside, the author proves a very good point. We really have to think about what kind of America we're supporting with our dollars and what kind of public policy we support with our votes.

Rating:
Summary: subject audience
Review: Ehrenreich wrote "Nickel and Dimed" with the intent being that the middle and upper classes would read it, and therefore know something of what the lower classes were going through. It was not meant to be a biography of certain lower class people, delving into their private lives as well as their work lives. It was supposed to tell of only their ability (or lack thereof) to survive with "poverty-level wages". And while Ehrenreich's seemingly carefree style of writing may put some readers off, it seemed to almost mirror some of the poverty stricken characters' attitudes. They always seemed to be hopeful, or at least accepting.
Also, while Ehrenreich's education is of the highest in rank, it didnt seem to do her a bit of good in her low-wage jobs.
Although there are problems with her research (for instance, her quitting when the going got tough, her dermatologist at hand, etc), all in all, Ehrenreich did a good job of getting lower-class problems out and visible to the other classes.


Rating:
Summary: America
Review: Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is an extraordinary non-fictional book. It took great courage for this author to leave her comfortable life and start from scratch as a low wage worker. From a Ph.D. to "nothing" puts things in perspective and opens minds and eyes to a reader who will never experience such things.
It makes me sick to think that America is not as free as we "Proud Americans" portray it to be. Things need to change around here situations such as poverty need to stop being invisible. It will never change if people don't do something about it. Barbara experienced things for herself and wrote a book and opened readers eyes all across America. Living off minim wage is not living free when people are struggling to live a healthy, proud, and respectful life. We can't let people with money and power rule everything. United States is the most powerful country in the world right? It is so powerful that people who don't have money struggle everyday of their lives to survive in America. We will never have to be in these situations that more then half Americans do. We have luxuries such as to log-on to amazon.com and write a review on books. I hope people read Nickel and Dimed and realize the core issues Barbra and people in America are faced with.

Rating:
Summary: Nickel Dimed
Review: Firstly, Barbara Ehrenreich did not write this book keeping a lower-class audience in mind. Therefore, it does not attempt to expand the knowledge of poor people about the harsh reality of poverty, as it would be impossible to do so. Her target audience is the upper-class society that is so oblivious to the problems faced by people enduring a life of poverty.

Secondly, the author does not walk away from the jobs to escape them. Rather, she attempts to go through various jobs so as to describe to the reader all the hardships associated with all the different jobs ranging from being a waitress to being a Wal-mart employee.

Therefore, instead of criticizing Ehrenreich, I think her attempt to increase public awareness about the hardships endured by the lower-class, is truly commendable.


Rating:
Summary: The title of the book
Review: The name of the book is Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting by in America, it is supposed to be about the work experience of the "working poor" and how it effects their living habits. So when people sarcastically said all she proved was that the working poor have it tough, they are right because that was the point. She wanted to expose just how much they work and deal with compared to us. The book was not meant to be an emotional story of their family life it was a story of their WORK life.