Nickel and Dimed

On (Not) Getting By in America

By: Barbara Ehrenreich

Narrated by: Cristine McMurdo-Wallis

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

This engrossing piece of undercover reportage has been a fixture on the New York Times best seller list since its publication. 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.

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". Her first job is waitressing, which pulls in a measly $2.43 an hour plus tips. She moves around the country, trying her hand as a maid, a nursing home assistant, and a Wal-Mart salesperson. What she discovers is a culture of desperation, where workers take multiple thankless jobs just to keep a roof overhead.

Often humorous and always illuminating, Nickel and Dimed is a remarkable expose of the ugly flip side of the American dream.

©2001 Barbara Ehrenreich (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Adult Non-Fiction, 2002
• Alex Award Winner, 2002

"One of today's most original writers." (The New York Times)
"A close observer and astute analyzer of American life, Ehrenreich turns her attention to what it is like trying to subsist while working in low-paying jobs....Her narrative is candid, often moving, and very revealing." (Library Journal)
"Delivering a fast read that's both sobering and sassy, she [Ehrenreich] gives readers pause about those caught in the economy's undertow, even in good times." (Publishers Weekly)

Everyone should read this book

This is a book I would have not picked up for myself but it was a pick within my book club so I needed to give it a try. I thought I was an open minded, economic aware person until I read this book. my husband and I are now having our kids listen to it.

Who really makes your world work?

Would you listen to Nickel and Dimed again? Why?

I will listen to Nickel & Dimed again to understand more deeply the pathos of its characters, all taken from real-life, a pathos present every day wherever human persons are treated like objects existing for the benefit of the idol 'net-profit.'

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The author brings us with her on a journey of self-discovery as she encounters the lives of the invisible-people with whom she and all of us share our daily-lives, those overworked and underpaid workers upon whom we depend to make our worlds function smoothly. These workers, each of whom is precious in their own right, are Walmart greeters, clerks at Menards and the person behind the voice at the McDonald's drive-thru speaker, . Barbara Ehrenreich brings their humanity to us in a way we cannot ignore either in the book or as we hurry past the smiling clerk who meets us entering the store on our next shopping trip.

Which scene was your favorite?

The most memorable scenes for me were descriptions of the people the author encountered during her research, which she developed into the book's narrative.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to the book while driving, not in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Writing this review encouraged me to listen again to this well-written, thought-provoking book that has lingered just below the surface of my own daily-grind helping me to know my otherwise unknown:

ENLIGHTENING

MY SON READ THIS FOR A PROJECT IN SCHOOL..HE ENJOYED IT, IT WAS AN EYE OPENER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Wonderful!

Wonderful! Insightful to the point of providing a deep insight into the minutia of the lives of the working poor, or the so called major philanthropists of the world.

Emphatically Academic

An empathetic and occasionally academic glimpse at the working poor in the American economy and the faults of a system based on raising capital rather than raising the standard of life, though there is another element of race and gender that make the life of a working poor person all the more difficult in America.

swallowing

I was distracted by the woman's deep swallowing.. While taking a breath to read the next sentence...

truth bites

Its impossible to believe this book is banned! Its by no means saying socialism is the way to go, though at its time of publication I could see this being a concern. This came before 911, before shooting were a normal thing in US, during the time that Americans wrre in the big economic boom, and Walmart started gobbling up its competition in small-town America. This book, exposes the mold of the true nature of capitalism, thus the "living wage" regorms of the last few years. In short, truth sucks, especially when you live it, breathe it, experience it. Its worse for immigrants, because theres a lack of English. Its even morse for undocumented, because you never know if your asylum will go through or ICE will pick you up; thats on top of all the economic and language woes. This is not 1984 or Animal Farm. This is about real America, the one not shown in American movies, no cowboys in these scenarios nor flashy personality drama. This is a spoon of real life, with occasional morsels of sweetness on top. Great book to read if you're going into social work, econ, human geography, community work or need a better understanding of how US policy has changed due to societal presures to the world we live in today.

Prett Good but Necessarily Shallow

The author intro outlines the very reasonable and truthful limitations of the book: You can try to recreate working poverty but it is ultimately limited in realism because for a multitude of reasons.

It succeeds in providing a glimpse of low wage life and has some insightful moments particularly regarding the costs of poverty and why rational decision making (to the outsider) may not happen. The real shine is in the humor of the author and her wiseass remarks.

We’re still here

I can’t believe this book was written 17 years ago and here we are with no real change. The poor are still getting poorer and everyone just wants to blame the poor. I wish everyone read this book and took the time to really understand what is going on. I can only hope it doesn’t take another 17 years for something to give.

Real life

I am so happy Barbara Ehrenreich take this real life experience. What she has done let’s us know that life is not easy.