Book Discussion: Nickled And Dimed
By onesiobhan
@onesiobhan (1327)
Canada
December 13, 2006 10:32am CST
I just finished reading _Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America_ by Barbara Ehrenreich. She describes the experience of living in three different major US cities and working as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aide, and Wal-Mart staff. I thought she did a pretty good job of describing how exhausting and depressing it is to work at jobs that keep you at the poverty line, the daily petty humiliations.
I had a couple of reactions to the book.
One was... D'uh
1 response
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
14 Dec 06
I have read the book. It shocked me profoundly. Although I know not everyone in the USA is rich before I read this book I did not think much about the plight of people who have to survive on minimum wage and support a family as well. I thought she could have avoided some of the daily humiliations she describes if she had made better choices as far as accommodation etc. is concerned. But as you say it is not a "how to" book it is a description of the choices she made and the consequences thereof.I would recommend the book.
