The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans and Their Families

Rating:
Summary: Sad Truth's Hard to Bear
Review: Although I haven't read the oft-referenced NICKLED AND DIMED, I discovered this book totally by accident and found it both informative and True. As one of the new "working poor", I responded immediately to the personal anecdotes. I am an educated white male in my early-forties who as recently as three years ago made $35,000 a year. Now, the best job I can find is in a bookstore for $8.50 an hour! And in my own immediate family, there are three others who have been struggling to find ANY job for two years, one of whom has a BA in Accounting!! So if anything, the book's alledged questionable anecdotes criticized by others certainly speak to this reader. Indeed, one could argue that anecdotes often reveal greater Truths than dry facts....

Of course, Shulman has an agenda, but it is one backed up by facts, quoted in her book and elsewhere. It is undebatably true that the job situation in the US is changing for the worse, and it doesn't take this book, or others, to prove it, but simple observation. However, it is great to see many of the facts I've heard so many times elsewhere collected in a single volume.

Sadly, Shulman is probably preaching to the converted. While I agree with every point in the book, its doubtful a Conservative or corporate-apologist would -- but then again, they are the ones who got us in this mess and are profiting from it, so what do they care? For me, this book makes me want to read more, so I think I'll check out "Nickled and Dimed" now....

Rating:
Summary: Sad Truth's Hard to Bear
Review: Although I haven't read the oft-referenced NICKLED AND DIMED, I discovered this book totally by accident and found it both informative and True. As one of the new "working poor", I responded immediately to the personal anecdotes. I am an educated white male in my early-forties who as recently as three years ago made $35,000 a year. Now, the best job I can find is in a bookstore for $8.50 an hour! And in my own immediate family, there are three others who have been struggling to find ANY job for two years, one of whom has a BA in Accounting!! So if anything, the book's alledged questionable anecdotes criticized by others certainly speak to this reader. Indeed, one could argue that anecdotes often reveal greater Truths than dry facts....

Of course, Shulman has an agenda, but it is one backed up by facts, quoted in her book and elsewhere. It is undebatably true that the job situation in the US is changing for the worse, and it doesn't take this book, or others, to prove it, but simple observation. However, it is great to see many of the facts I've heard so many times elsewhere collected in a single volume.

Sadly, Shulman is probably preaching to the converted. While I agree with every point in the book, its doubtful a Conservative or corporate-apologist would -- but then again, they are the ones who got us in this mess and are profiting from it, so what do they care? For me, this book makes me want to read more, so I think I'll check out "Nickled and Dimed" now....

Rating:
Summary: Untenable solutions for some thorny problems
Review: Although in the blurb on the front of this book, Barbara Ehrenreich says she wishes she'd written it herself, this book is no Nickel and Dimed; it is less readable and much more tendentious. Beth Shulman does a satisfactory problem of describing the problems low-wage workers face (although I think she could've used a lighter hand with the statistics), but her proposed solutions are radically socialistic ones that in my opinion would have a devastating effect on the fabric of life in the U.S.

She does make several incisive points, though. Contrary to what many of us believe, there is very little mobility out of low wage work, even if one works hard. Also, low wage earners in most other affluent countries are significantly better off than their counterparts in the U.S., which is touted as the Land of Opportunity.

This book, for all its shortcomings, did make me think differently about low wage earners and the problems they face, but if you're only going to read one book on the subject, I'd recommend Nickel and Dimed.

Rating:
Summary: interesting but off base
Review: For anyone interested in a grab bag of left-wing critiques and some possible corrective mechanisms of the current US job market, this is it.

The book does use extensive documentation from left-wing sources but the author also uses many anecdotes. In Ms. Shulman's world there are only hard-working oppressed employees and greedy slothful employers. Many of the methods that enhance efficiency in the market (such as monitoring employee performance) are dismissed as cruel and oppressive.

Some of Ms. Shulman's concerns and suggested corrections are perhaps worthwhile, but many aren't. More importantly, she completely dismissed or ignores some obvious trade offs. Shulman often contrasts better aspects of European labor markets with the US but never addresses their biggest drawback, higher unemployment, apparently assuming widespread equality and opportunity for all can be legislated despite years of trying without success. She may believe that low-wage workers might be better off on a generous public assistance system than in the workforce, but even that would be of no value to millions of immigrants, for whom she claims to be an advocate.

This book is really a road map for perhaps more leveled economy but one with far less opportunity for ambitious and aspiring workers at all income levels.

Rating:
Summary: The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Amer
Review: The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans and Their Families by Beth Shulman is right in here assesment of this unequal economic system. It is not right when 30 million people can go to work and still not make ends meet. In a society were some people have to squeeze every penny whilst others others can eat Russian caviar and drink vintage wine every day. This is a society that is rotten to the core with a system that values human dignity very little and is controlled by greed and self importance.

Rating:
Summary: don't listen to the last reviewer
Review: This is a well documented, highly important book in the tradition of Nickel & Dimed. If you're interested in how our society fails to provide for millions of Americans who are working far more than 40 hour weeks, read this book.

Rating:
Summary: don't listen to the last reviewer
Review: This is a well documented, highly important book in the tradition of Nickel & Dimed. If you're interested in how our society fails to provide for millions of Americans who are working far more than 40 hour weeks, read this book.