I thought this was a great book. Quite a few of my friends are in the category of people who struggle to make it on wage slave jobs. What Barbara Ehrenreich did was start off with a small budget (I think $1000) in three different cities and see if she could earn enough in one month at entry level jobs to pay for her next month’s expenses. The three places she chose were Key West, Florida, Portland, Maine, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was successful in the first two and not so successful in the third. In none of them was it easy.
I think Ehrenreich meant to dispel the idea that low wage earners are in poverty because of their choices. However, the people she described didn’t really change my view. Many of them were making choices that kept them from earning better money.
On the other hand, her stories did show just how much power employers wield, and how they wield it to keep wages low. From preventing employees from talking about wages to firing union organizers to simple things like not telling a person what they would make up front.
And one major thing I took away from the book was how petty small time employers can be.
Definitely a good read, and I generally agree with Ehrenreich assessments. I mostly disagree on the view that we owe low wage earners more. Yes, the man is keeping you down. Stand up to the man. Hell, at a small restaurant, a 1 hour walkout by 6 waitresses will bring pretty quick compliance.
Title: Nickel and dimed: on (not) getting by in America
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
Imprint / publisher: Owl / Henry Holt
Format: Paperback
Length: 221 p.
Publication date: 2002
ISBN-10: 0-8050-6389-7
Subject: Minimum wage — United States
Subject: Unskilled labor — United States
Subject: Poverty — United States
LC classification: HD4918.E375 2001
