- ISBN13: 9780805088380
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
The bestselling, landmark work of undercover reportage, now updatedAcclaimed as an instant classic upon publication, Nickel and Dimed has sold more than 1.5 million copies and become a staple of classroom reading. Chosen for “one book” initiatives across the country, it has fueled nationwide campaigns for a living wage. Funny, poignant, and passionate, this revelatory firsthand account of life in low-wage America—the story of Barbara Ehrenreich’s atte… More >>
Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America
One thing was typical in the book and that was Barbara’s amazement that the Maid Service owner was charging householders $25 an hour per maid while the maids themselves only made $6.50. The owner was therefore obviously an evil user of people. How about the franchise fees, insurance, overhead, facility, vehicles, training costs etc etc etc? Any owner of a franchise realizes that training material, signs, forms, etc. don’t come free and that a significant part of profits are returned to headquarters. Frankly this book is a fluff piece .Barbara sort of reminds me of Marie Antoinette who frolics in a house on her estate property pretending to be a peasant. At any time she can return to her palatial lifestyle.
Other commenters have mentioned that Barbara never discusses in any depth the reason that her fellow toilers are maids, Walmart employees, or waitresses. Perhaps they dropped out of school and have no marketable skills. No effort has been made in the book to suggest ways in which the “system” could be fixed.
Anyone who smokes MJ while interviewing for jobs that require a blood test doesn’t exhibit the common sense expected of an educated person. Just another thought.
Liberals, Socialists, and supporters of victims will love this book. Barbara should enter politics. She will go far in the environment embraced by 2009 Washington.
Rating: 1 / 5
Having read this book I’m seriously considering writing my own and calling it THE TALE OF TWO FRIENDS.
Twenty years ago, two friends took two very different paths, both were living at home with their parents, lazy shiftless and unproductive. My parents kicked me out and forced me to get an apartment and a job. The other was put on government assistance by his mom. During the entire twenty years One never received handouts from his family the other did constantly. Today one is a productive member of society, the other still on government assistance and still depending on family handouts. Life is a choice and if you want to feel like a victim, then that’s your choice not mine.
In one of my first jobs, I worked signing up people for the television ratings both in the inner city and the suburbs. One of the main things I realized is that America is the greatest country in the planet because many of the poor people are fat and most of them have TVs’ unlike the rich, they sure spent a lot of time watching them. Everyone has experienced walking into a retail store or fast food joint and seeing many of the employees overweight and dragging their FATBUTTS around yet, according to this book, they are so poor they can’t even afford to eat. Travel to third world countries and you’ll see real poverty, farm workers who are skinny as rails and work from sunup to sundown 6-7 days a week.
Rating: 1 / 5
The seller blamed it on the slow mail, but the book didn’t show up until after the estimated date.
Rating: 2 / 5
This book tells the reality for too many Americans, who don’t qualify for the Bush/McCain tax cuts. Sad, and scary, reading.
Rating: 5 / 5
Just see John Stossel’s interview with Adam Shepherd in 20/20’s “Bailouts & Bull****.” His own book, called “Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25 and the Search for the American Dream” seems to expose Ehrenreich for the defeatist hack she apparently is.
Rating: 1 / 5