I'm currently reading this book, I'm in the Evaluation Chapter, at some point it says that the boss in The Maids used to give them breakfast... but I never found that info when reading the chapter when she worked at The Maids... Is there any misunderstanding or something I didn't read?? I thought the premise was fantastic. A successful author, Barbara Ehrenreich decides to see if she can scratch out a comfortable living in a blue-collar America obsessed with welfare "reform". A classic now in the field, and I've long used an excerpt from this in my Intro. We had a stack of them at the counter, and I read bits on my breaks. Did anyone ever really think it was easy to make ends meet off of a low/minimum wage job? That phone company is nickel-and-diming their customers with all those fees. We had a stack of them at the counter, and I read bits on my breaks. As someone who grew up as part of the "working poor," I have had all of these kinds of jobs myself at one time or another. While I was glad to see a popular book addressing the problems of the working poor, I couldn't help but feel like she'd taken a vacation in my life and then made a bunch of money writing a book about it, something she could only have achieved because she had already been in a position of privilege. Overeducated liberal writer slumming it on minimum wage, to prove what? With nearly a million copies in print, Nickel and Dimed is a modern classic that deftly portrays the plight of America's working-class poor. And the have nots just have not? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich here. In Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehlereich seeks to correct many such misconceptions about the bottom rungs of American society, and in particular, to make her readers aware of the obstacles that prevent even the most determined among the nation's poor from achieving access to the lifestyle that most above them take for granted. The 'working poor,' as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. I completed the manuscript for Nickel and Dimed in a time of seemingly boundless prosperity. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. Just some quick carbs that you can eat with your hands. About Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in … To this end she goes undercover as an unskilled laborer at three minimum wage jobs (waitress, Wal-mart employee and Merry-Maid) each in a different city, each for one month. If my political ranting will bother you, please don't read this. They can grab a donut on the way out the door. (I'm reminded of perhaps my own bias about this as I was critical of the layperson sociology that Vance did in, crybabies, entitlement wonks, NE1 who is never worked, I think the entire point of this book was to 'prove' that minimum wage jobs by their very nature and pay scale CANNOT support people, even people with all the advantages she had (and none of the additional disadvantages the poor often have.). Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from the bottom. Just give me the whole bill at one time. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, anyone who has never worked a demeaning job. uhh uhh, I just don't understand. But what I want to know is this. However, upon reading Nickel and Dimed, a sad reality on the plight of the working poor or the low-wage workforce would wrenched anyone’s heart thinking that if this one is happening in America what will happen to the rest of the other world for instance the poorer countries or we may say the fourth world? Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from the bottom. That minimum wage is not livable? I am not saying that we should not help poor people. nickel-and-dimed synonyms, nickel-and-dimed pronunciation, nickel-and-dimed translation, English dictionary definition of nickel-and-dimed. Most of my family members still do. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America study guide contains a biography of author Barbara Ehrenreich, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Ironically I read this entire book at work over the past two days, on U of M graduation weekend, where more than any other time we are just overflowing with demanding self-satisfied yuppies, so needless to say I kept the cover faced down to avoid ironic pity smirks from smug assholes, in retrospect I should have flaunted the cover openly, hoping liberal guilt might bring in some tips. As I recall, that's the extent of breakfast. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America In the thought provoking novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores the life of low-wage workers in America’s society. I am currently looking for work and even with a B.A., good paying jobs with benefits are impossible to find. I mean, seriously, does any of this come as a surprise to anyone? This is one of the books I've been meaning to read since it was first published. Of course I wasn't trying to live on the peon wages since I lived at home. The author's exploration of low-wage jobs in Modern America is interesting while discouraging. She worked at the sort of dead-end jobs I did before I graduated from college. But, all in all, at least her book draws attention to the plight of the low-wage earner. A LOT. Informal adj. Don't nickel-and-dime me for days on end. We’d love your help. Start by marking “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity--a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Socialist propaganda or a true account of people's struggle to make it in America? Define nickel-and-dimed. You may disagree, but know that I actually am a nice, caring, empathetic person. Is this a country for the haves only? Ergh. I wanted to hate this book. Viewed in the light of that experience, I find this book even more outrageous. All in all, it met my expectation as a good book to. Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's new memoir, Sounds Like Titanic, may be the quirkiest nonfiction book of the spring. If you're looking for socialist propaganda - full of rhetorical tricks and short on evidence, then this is the book for you. Read the Review. Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich’s perspective and for a rare view of how “prosperity” looks from the bottom. And how easy it was for me especially to seethe with anger when the author repeatedly names my job alone as the one position she would simply not consider, no reason ever given, simply that working at the front desk of a hotel was out of the question, and what a shame as I guarantee that it would have provided innumerable opportunities for the sort of dead-end job self-abasement for which she was searching. This book explains and describes the condition of the working poor in United States in the 21st century. And that is the point Barbara Ehrenreich doesn't entertain. Welcome back. She worked at the sort of dead-end jobs I did before I graduated from college. May 1st 2002 Nickel-and-dime definition is - involving or offering only a small amount of money. Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from the bottom. Traditionally used as part of the larger phrase "To be nickled and dimed to death", referring to the undesired price of upkeep for a certain item. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that ot, “When someone works for less pay than she can live on — when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently — then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity—a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published To find out how humans live and survive in minimum-wage America--particularly women who were at the time about to be pushed into the labor market because of "welfare reform"--writer Barbara Ehrenreich moved three times, from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, and worked as a waitress, a hotel maid, a house cleaner, a nursing home aide, and a Wal-Mart employee. I’m going to make serious money this time. “When someone works for less pay than she can live on — when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently — then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. I am mostly just annoyed by the author. Learn more. I want to keep the campaign on the issues that matter. I spent many years in that life, and it's hard, very hard. Unlike other companies, we charge a flat fee so we won’t nickel-and-dime you to death. So, the author got paid to wait tables in Florida, clean homes in Maine, and organize clothes at Wal-Mart in Minnesota. Overeducated liberal writer slumming it on minimum wage, to prove what? I AM one of the working poor that she talks about here and I DO believe in pulling myself up and making a better life for myself. Download "Nickel and Dimed Book Summary, by Barbara Ehrenreich" as PDF. It describes an experiement by journalist Barbara Ehrenreich where she takes a series of minimum wage jobs (waitress, hotel maid, housekeeper, nursing home aide, and Wal-Mart employee) and tries to survive on the earnings from those jobs. I wanted to hate this book. The pace moves right along, and I never drifted away from my reading. Now, keep your hand raised if you STILL work a minimum wage job. How can you also call her a bleeding heart? Also, she's really reluctant to tell exactly which restaurant, maid service, hotel chain, and nursing home she was employed by, although she had no trouble name-dropping when it came time to work for Wal-Mart. “I grew up hearing over and over, to the point of tedium, that "hard work" was the secret of success: … It really made my blood boil at times and I have "been there and done that" as an employee. I'm not interested in that nickel and dime stuff. No more no nickel-and-dime stuff for me. We're getting nickeled and dimed to death. I want to keep the campaign on the issues that matter. Ehrenreich, a well-respected journalist, leaves her comfortable life behind to go undercover as a woman with few resources or credentials to … # 1 book Summary of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich in the U.S election coming up read... 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