Barbara Ehrenreich - Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America Books

Pros: Interesting experiences to share, interesting people to meet
Cons: The author's political agenda and negativism get old after a while

Barbara Ehrenreich is a successful author of several books who lives in an upscale area near Key West, Florida. She has a Ph.D. in Biology and makes a living from writing books and attending speaking engagements.

In 1998, Ehrenreich decided...

Pros: Well- written, fast-paced, heart-breaking, darkly funny, thought-provoking
Cons: Preachy and judgmental with questionable financial strategy

Have you ever worked a thankless, low-wage job?

I have. I've served cocktails in an after-hours bar, worked in a steamy stockroom unloading and unpacking endless boxes, worked retail shifts from 2pm-12:30 am one day and 6am to 4pm the...

Pros: Interesting concept, the author was brave.
Cons: Drags a little at times

If you were a highly educated, well paid writer, and author of several books would you throw it all away for a period of time just to see how the other half lives? That is exactly what author Barbara Ehrenreich sets out to do when she decides to write ...

Pros: Excellent story and research.
Cons: The writer misses the mark in a few spots.

If you’re sick and tired of seeing poor people on the street begging for dollars to “get food” when they could walk right across the street and respond to the “help wanted” sign in the window at Taco Bell, then don’t miss...

Pros: Unpleasant look at a world most of us would rather not think of.
Cons: Ehrenreich's style really got to me in places.

I had an inside joke that I would pull on my employer when I was laboring away at a major newspaper. On May first, I'd come trotting into the office whistling the Internationale. Every now and then one of my co-workers got the joke and fell over...

Pros: A "Hands On" exploration of the plight of THE WORKING POOR in America
Cons: Deliberately graphic and mundane - a slice of realism that shames TV imitations.

INTRODUCTION

Why should anyone read this book? Because it is likely that someone: like you, your friends, your parents, your grandparents, your children or their children may wind up in one of these very real predicaments. So, be...

Pros: Brings up a lot of great points that most people don't consider.
Cons: Perhaps Ehrenreich is not the best judge.

I picked this book up when it first came out, in May 2000. It was sitting out prominently on a shel ...

Pros: Ehrenreich tried to bring up a few valid points about being poor.
Cons: Preachy, falls flat of explaining the lifestyle.

My son brought this book home for a High School reading assignment. I ended up reading it and with each page I got more and more infuriated with the "Poverty Wannabe" Barbara Ehrenreich. Barbara Ehrenreich is a well-educated, financially well off ...

Pros: An interesting concept for an experiment
Cons: A poorly done experiment

Ever wonder why waitresses in diners don't always smile? Or why the associate folding t-shirts at Wal-Mart looks as though she'd rather be anywhere but there? It may be because they are working way too hard for way too little. She may be wondering...

Pros: A fascinating read
Cons: Bias might irritate closeminded readers

I can't think how many times I've gone into service establishments - clothing stores, fast-food restaurants - and imagined what it'd be like to work there. Here, Barbara Ehrenreich captures the essence of the experience of working in dead-end, low-paying...

Pros: Interesting and readable perspective on the America social class system and the working poor
Cons: Flawed sociological experiment

I read “Nickel and Dimed” in college for a Business Perspectives. Recently, I was at a fast food restaurant and overheard two workers discussing their wages with another patron. They made seven dollars an hour. Seven dollars an hour for forty ...

Pros: author shares experiences many of us will never have
Cons: so very biased it's almost humorous

My attraction to this book was almost instantaneous as I perused the best seller section of Barnes & Nobel knowing full-well that I'd be spending the next half hour at the "Thomas the Tank Engine" display in the children's nook. Very appropriate...

Pros: Insightful portrayals of people struggling to get by.
Cons: The author's biases get in the way.

Barbara Ehrenreich makes no pretense of objectively. She believes that it is nearly impossible for one to live on wages at or near the minimum wage, thinks it’s terrible that we don’t pay all workers a living wage and began her adventure largely to...

Pros: Fast read, thought provoking, interesting, funny bathroom cleaning commentary
Cons: Lacks a unifying idea, the author gets a little too political also is a whiner

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich has been recommended to me numerous times over the last few years. The premise is very appealing: The author, a writer and lecturer with a PhD, decides to get the real story behind the experiences of the worki ...

Pros: Well-written and researched; Thought-provoking manisfesto
Cons: Doesn't start out broke

How many of us have really taken a few minutes to think about the large number of people who serve us days in and days out? As a society, do we ever bother to find out whether these people are truly making a living wage? The question should be about...