'Nickel and Dimed'

By Savannah B.

The big question is whether or not single mothers in America can survive on the money they make at low-wage jobs. Barbara Ehrenreich travels to three different cities in America to put this common issue to the test. She travels to cities in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, in which she lives by three simple rules. When applying for low wage jobs in these three cities, she was not allowed to use her skills from education or previous work. She also made sure that she accepted the highest paying job that was offered to her and that away from work, she would live by the cheapest accommodations necessary that still maintain safety and privacy. At each city, Barbara told the new people that she met that she was a divorced stay at home mom who has been forced to return to the work force after several years. It was important to Barbara that she followed her rules and stuck to her fake identity in order to truly dig up the issues and complications that single mothers who make minimum wage suffer from every day. She was to endure the restriction of money, the restriction on luxuries, and the everyday challenges that a mother might face to keep her children content. Although money is a huge factor in this experiment, she decided that if she ever were to go hungry or homeless, then, and only then, would she take out her ATM card.

At each city, Barbara applied to several jobs. In Florida, her first job is as a waitress, receiving a little over $2.00 an hour. After realizing that there is no way to get by on only $2.00 an hour, she gets another waitressing job. However, she is unable to work bother jobs at once. She quits the first waitressing job and then gets a job as a maid at a hotel near her house. Unfortunately, she discovers that these jobs are doing her no mercy. Barbara quits both jobs and moves on to her next city in Maine. Maine is not much better. She gets a job as a housecleaner and moves into a small cottage. Her new job begins to open her eyes to the hard and continuous work and poor conditions that minimum wage jobs consist of. Eventually the cost of things and the constant pain that she deals with after work is too much for her. She moves on to her next city in Montana. In Montana, Barbara where her worst experience is endured. She is unable to find any housing here. She is forced to live in a costly hotel in which she must eat out every day due to the fact that she has no money to buy cooking supplies for herself. The costs start adding up. She gets a job at Wal-Mart which opens her eyes to exactly how hard people work for the small amount that they get paid.

After her experience of living as a single mom living off of minimum wage in American cities, Barbara decides to write her book Nickel and Dimed. She learned all about the rough conditions that low-wage workers endure and the strict regulations that most of the jobs have. Barbara also learned all about how quickly money can add up. Often times she had no food in the house and was forced to order. Twice she was forced to live in a costly hotel. She learned that people with minimum wage jobs rarely have health insurance and must deal with sicknesses or face the high expenses that hospital and doctor visits give. This book gets down and deep into exactly what minimum wage adults face every single day.

I absolutely loved the writing of Barbara Ehrenreich. Her book was a daring and truthful experience in which the author herself wrote about her own experiences that she chose to undertake. The truths that she reveals in her book are surprisingly raw. I enjoy the way in which she goes in depth of the way she is feeling during her stay in each city. Her feelings and emotions that she tells in her story give insight and empathy to the people who live that kind of life without a choice. I did not like the saddening truth that this story revealed, however, I am glad I now know what so many of the people in my country face. The plot of this story was phenomenal and exciting.

                I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the lives of American people and the life of a journalist. This book will change your insight on how you look at people and how hard you work at the things you do. It is a terrific book full of the raw details of American lives.

                Readers can find this book at your local library or on Amazon.com.