Barbara Ehrenreich discovers the harsh reality of working minimum wage jobs such as a maid, waitress, a food service worker in a nursing home and at Wal-Mart. Ehrenreich notes her coworkers’ circumstances and how the American economy affects them in a negative way. She also observes how poverty affects the people around her and herself in these harsh situations. She describes the jobs as not only physically, but also mentally, draining. Month after month Ehrenreich struggles to find food, shelter, and transportation while living on low-wage pay. After experiencing these struggles, she proposes that something must be done. Ehrenreich proposes that more health benefits for low-wage workers should be in place. She also thinks that employers should pay their employees more per hour for the strenuous work that they must endure.
17. After reading Nickel and Dimed I feel that it would be better to have a job, no matter what that job may be, than no job at all. At least you would be able to make some sort of an income for yourself rather than living off of nothing. This book made me feel angry because of the way the supervisors treated their employees by not giving them the wage they needed and trying to replace it with benefits. I now feel more informed about the status of the living poor and feel that something needs to be done to better their living situations.
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