Nickel And Dimed by Barbara Ehreneich

Nickel and Dimed 

by

Barbara Ehrenreich

Two of the members of my library reading group had read this book and recommended it so I decided to also read it.  I had watched the youtube video about it several times over the years and was intrigued to read more about the subject of the working poor.   I was not surprised or shocked by anything in the book.  Perhaps that is because I have experienced long periods of hard work where I was barely scraping by in my own life.  I never had to survive on as little as she was making during her experiment in the book but even at 2.5 times what she was making it can be a challenge to keep the bills paid.   The author has her Phd and is a journalist.  She spends three different one month periods,  in three different areas of the country trying to survive on entry level jobs and writes this book to tell about her experiences.  It is a very enlightening book for people who never had to struggle like she did during these time periods.  I think her experiences are pretty typical of what happens with the people who are working these types of jobs.   And I agree with her that not only are the people in entry level jobs under paid but they are under appreciated.  Lack of respect starves a self image which needs to be nurtured in order for a person to have any upward mobility.   Further reading on the subject can be found in a NYT article HERE.  And a A&E investigative report can be watched HERE.  The book,  article and documentary are outdated with the statistics that are quoted.  It is likely that the numbers are worse today because of the higher costs of food and other necessities.  It has been my experience that my wages have not gone up since this book was written.  As recently as last year,  National Geographic ran a series on Hunger In America - part of which can be found HERE.  Whether or not one agrees with the point of view in this book and the articles and videos included in this blog,  it is information that every one should be aware of.  I highly recommend that all Americans read this book and follow the links in this blog post for more information.  The book title and the author's name will also lead to other sites when clicked on.  The video that follows is a favorite of mine.  I post it periodically to share with others.