Barbara Ehrenreich
In "Nickel and Dimed" Barbara Ehrenreich embarks on an extraordinary exercise in underground journalism. She decides that, for several months, she will enter the "unskilled" work force in three different states and try to earn enough money to support herself. Although I myself would sooner massage a menopausal alligator than do such a thing, I found the concept of the book sufficiently intriguing to check it out of my local (by which I mean school) library and read it.
The book was surprisingly funny, harrowing, and rewarding. I have existed in an isolated upper-middle-class bubble for my entire life, with a few exceptions here and there. I knew the working poor existed, but like pop rocks and ebola, I didn't give them much thought in my day to day life.
I was amazed to read that Barbara Ehrenreich could barely find housing with the wages of her full-time minimum-wage job. She had every advantage in the world -- she started off with $1,200 in each city, she had a car and gasoline, she was white and spoke fluent, unaccented English. She was healthy and had no dependents to look after. Best of all, if everything started going wrong and she couldn't pay her rent payments (as actually did happen in Minnesota), she had a cushy "real life" in the upper middle class to return to.
Even with all these advantages, Ms. Ehrenreich found each bill, rent payment, and grocery visit excruciatingly hard to meet. She found herself struggling to break even each month, and saving any money was practically out of the question. She discovered that the vast majority of people she met had either multiple jobs or a partner working full-time -- single women with only one full-time job often lived in motels or in their cars.
The best part about this book is that the author is funny. Although the entire book makes the typical member of the middle- or upper-class cringe with guilt, Ehrenreich manages to make her genuine and witty personality shine through. By the end of the book, I felt inspired to make a change, not indicted. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the struggle of the American lower class.
Rating: 6/8
Tea: You need something upper-class and bitter while reading this book. Ginger tea is ideal.
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Dear Katie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I found this entry thoroughly fulfilling, guilt-inspiring, and thirst-quenching, I was nevertheless disappointed by the fact that I have not read this book and am therefore by no means qualified to comment on your tea pairing. I only have this to say: I dislike ginger tea and therefore shall never partake in this intriguing but soul-trampling docu-book.
Furthermore, I, as a representative of Menopausal Alligators Anonymous, am offended and mortified by your hardly veiled reference to my clientele. Please refrain from all such actions in the future.
With deepest conclusiveness,
Edwina "Hella Smella" Ogg