Barbara Ehrenreichs Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America E

Barbara Ehrenreichs Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By in AmericaBarbara Ehrenreich is a political/ loving journalist and writer. She is a best-selling author with a dozen criminal record credits to her name. Her works include Blood Rites, The Worst Years of Our Lives, and charge of Falling. She also has written articles for Time, Harpers, The New Republic, The Nation, and The New York Time Magazine. Her Ph.D. in biological science endows her with the experience and discipline to approach as a scientific experimentation the study resulting in her newest book, Nickel and Dimed.Light years removed from the descriptor of life she would eventually enter and write about, the genesis of the book happened during an pricey luncheon meeting with a magazine editor in chief. As the conversation effect drifted, Ehrenreich casually wondered how people get by on the low stipend of the unskilled. Someone ought to do the old fashioned kind of journalism...go out thither and try it f or themselves, she exhorted. She didnt really have herself in mind, but her editor challenged her with a single word, You. The idea also came in the wake of sweep welfare reform in 1996, which moved roughly four one thousand million women from the welfare rolls and into the workforce. The study Ehrenreich undertook then was to see how she could manage economically in the low wage work pool in which many such women found themselves.To prepare for the project, Ehrenreich set up some ground rules. When aspect for work she would not fall back on the use of her plebeian skills as a writer, and she would take the highest paying job while at the same time seek the least expensive housing that passive offered privacy and safety.Admittedly, she recognized the advantages she possessed -- good hea... ...ess, Ehrenreichs book has accredited some criticism for its lack of policy suggestions. She does not offer concrete ideas on how to remedy this situation. Some also said she did n ot military service herself of the aide that is available.However, the reality is that those who need military service arent magically invest with the knowledge of how to receive it. In Barbaras appeal for food assistance, it took initiative, 70 minutes of calling, driving, and nearly $3 spent in phone calls, which resulted in about $7 worth of food. In California, many of the working scant(p) are made up of non-English speakers or those who are working hither illegally. These people do not know where to start to get help or are not inclined to seek it for fear of reprisal.I found the book well written and very eye porta to the struggles faced by millions of women - and men - in the United States.