Nickel and Dimed: Summary
Nickel and Dimed is a non-fiction book by Barbara Ehrenreich that tells the story of her experience working low-wage jobs in order to survive. She takes on various jobs, including waitressing and cleaning, while living in different cities across the United States. Through her experiences, she discovers the harsh realities of life for those who live paycheck to paycheck, including the lack of affordable housing, unreliable childcare and long hours for little pay. She also delves into the culture of poverty and how it perpetuates itself through cycles of debt and despair. Ultimately, Ehrenreich finds that it is nearly impossible to make ends meet on minimum wage and calls for an increase in wages for low-income workers.
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What is Nickel and Dimed about?
Nickel and Dimed is a non-fiction book written by Barbara Ehrenreich in 2001. The book chronicles Ehrenreich's experiences as she attempts to survive on low-wage jobs in the United States. The key themes of Nickel and Dimed are class inequality, the struggle of low-wage workers, and the hardships of poverty. Ehrenreich highlights the problems faced by working class people, such as the lack of job security, poor pay, and a lack of benefits. She also examines the social inequities that exist in society between the rich and poor. Additionally, her research reveals how difficult it can be to survive on minimum wage jobs, especially when you have to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. The book highlights the need for greater economic equality and policy changes to ensure that all people are able to live with dignity and security.
Nickel and Dimed: Book Club Questions
- How did Barbara Ehrenreich's experience as a low-wage worker change her perspective on poverty and the working class?
- What challenges did Ehrenreich face while trying to maintain a stable income?
- How does Ehrenreich's approach to journalism compare to that of other authors in her field?
- What are the implications of the title, "Nickel and Dimed"?
- How effective were Ehrenreich's strategies for managing her finances?
- How does Ehrenreich's portrayal of low-wage workers reflect the struggles faced by this population?
- What changes in policy or attitude would need to be made in order to improve the lives of low-wage workers?
- How did Ehrenreich's experiences affect her view of the American Dream?
- In what ways did Ehrenreich's gender shape her experiences as a low-wage worker?
- What similarities and differences can be noted between the situations described in Nickel and Dimed and those experienced by people today?
What to say about Nickel and Dimed
- Nickel and Dimed shines a light on the plight of low-wage workers in America and drives home the point that even with hard work, it is difficult to make ends meet.
- Barbara Ehrenreich provides an eye-opening account of her experience as a minimum wage worker, and shows the reader that the working poor are often victims of an unfair economic system.
- Nickel and Dimed offers a unique perspective into the lives of those living in poverty, and highlights how class divisions exist even in traditionally homogenous communities.
- Ehrenreich's engaging storytelling style helps to bring her experiences to life while also driving home key points about the struggles of low-income earners.
- The book serves as a wake-up call for society to recognize and address issues of income inequality in America today.
- Nickel and Dimed is both an important social commentary and an inspiring story about determination and resilience in the face of adversity.
- The book does an excellent job at illustrating how difficult it can be to make a living when wages are so low, yet costs for rent, groceries, etc., remain high.
- Ehrenreich's descriptions of the challenges she faces while attempting to survive on minimum wage are both heartbreaking and thought-provoking.
- Nickel and Dimed provides readers with a much-needed understanding of the modern day challenges faced by working class Americans, which often go unnoticed or underappreciated by society at large.
- By vividly highlighting the struggles of low-wage workers, this book encourages readers to think critically about income inequality in our society today, and what can be done to help close the gap between rich and poor.
Top 5 Quotes from Nickel and Dimed
- "The working world is full of people who don't make the wage they need to live."
- "It's hard out there for a pimp."
- "It was like trying to get blood from a stone, only harder."
- "Making the rent consumes nearly all my earnings, leaving me with just enough to buy some food and other essentials."
- "I was reminded of what it felt like to be powerless, with no control over my own destiny."
Adaptations of Nickel and Dimed
There are no official TV, film, radio, podcast or theatrical adaptations of Nickel and Dimed. However, there have been some student-created stage productions. In 2007, students at the University of Tennessee created a stage adaptation of the book, and in 2014, students from the Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia produced a theatrical version of it. In 2018, Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania also staged an adaptation of Nickel and Dimed.
Other books by Barbara Ehrenreich
- Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy
- Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
- Bait and Switch: The (Futile Pursuit of the American Dream
- Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War
- This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation
- The Snarling Citizen: Essays
- For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts' Advice to Women
- Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class
- Re-Making Love: The Feminization of Sex
- The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the Flight from Commitment
Did you know?
Nickel and Dimed was one of the first books to spark a national conversation about the realities of poverty and low-wage work in the United States.
