Summer 2003 (Class of 2007): Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America- by Barbara Ehrenreich (2002)

Book Description-
Millions of Americans work full-time, year-round, for poverty-level wages. Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them, inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on six to seven dollars an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available, and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the "lowliest" occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors. Nickel and Dimed reveals how low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity-a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way American perceives its working poor. -2001 edition

more about Nickel and Dimed

Discussion Questions

1. Were your perceptions of working-class Americans transformed or reinforced by Nickel and Dimed? Have your notions about poverty and prosperity changed since reading the book? What about your own treatment of waiters, maids and salespeople? (This is Question 2 from the back of the book.)

2. What does class mean in America? What class would you say that you belong to? What places you in that class?

3. Ehrenreich is white and middle class. How do you think her experiences would have been different had she been a person of color or a single parent?

4. There are several incident in Ehrenreich's story that may appear deceptive, unethical, or morally problematic. For example, Ehrenreich' claimed she felt she did not "do the right thing" and defend George when he was accused of stealing. What type of or moral dilemmas do you expect to encounter as a student? Have you considered how you might handle these dilemmas?

5. Nickel and Dimed is not a scientific study of low-paid in America; instead it is an experiential investigation by on individual American of what it feels like to be a part of that group. Do you agree with how Ehrenreich conducted her research?

6. Which incident depicted in the book seemed to you most powerful or convincing, and why?