a) What was your personal response to reading the book?
My personal response to Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich is that it was an excellent read and an interesting one. I for one have never given much thought about the struggles of working low wage jobs. And since I haven't worked yet in my life or had any money issues. Thus, to understand what it means to truly struggle and have to work day in and day out at a job that pays barely enough to feed and shelter you is an alien thought. Not to mention, the stress it puts on people I can’t bare to think of. And yet, these are just the general struggles. Each person who is put into this situation might have a flaw, they might be addicted to drugs, have kids, medical issues, etc which all …show more content…
In particular, Ehrenreich’s experiment, where she travels from Florida, Maine, and Minnesota trying to find the lowest paying jobs in each state and tries build a life around that job. Gave a first hand account of working low wage jobs and allowed us to connect to Ehrenreich, because like us, Ehrenreich is educated and doesn't need to worry if she will eat tonight or if she can pay the bills, she is care free. But, as effective as Ehrenreich is I feel that it was the people Ehrenreich meets along the way that give real insight into the issue. People such as Holly, who worked as a maid with Ehrenreich and despite being “visibly unwell” refuses other to take her shifts because her boyfriend wants her to work (Ehrenreich 55). Or George who worked at Jerry’s Diner, who got in trouble when Ehrenreich tried to teach him english and was later accused of stealing( Ehrenreich 27). The people Ehrenreich met along the way are what drove me to read this to the end. For as much as I cared about Ehrenreich side it was seeing who she might meet next that kept me interested. I would go as far as to say that if Ehrenreich removed these parts from her book it would be significantly …show more content…
I felt that no matter what parameters you set to try and live that you couldn't capture what it's like. This is not to say that Ehrenreich failed or is a bad writer, but it is to say that I don’t think you can capture that moment unless you have to live it. Cause you have a safety net unlike others who are on a tightrope to survive and one wrong move could be devastating for them. That is to say that if Ehrenreich was starving, she could go get some food or needed a place to stay she could go to a hotel. Ehrenreich put her all into this experiment and I honor that and she created a fantastic book from her experiences. But, in the end she wasn't really living that life, she was pretending. That would be my only issue with Nickel and Dimed is that you can capture the struggle on the surface, but to genuinely know what it feels like to be in this position is something you have to live. Nevertheless, this is a minor issue and does not have any real effect on the book or its message, but was a thought I had since I started
My personal response to Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich is that it was an excellent read and an interesting one. I for one have never given much thought about the struggles of working low wage jobs. And since I haven't worked yet in my life or had any money issues. Thus, to understand what it means to truly struggle and have to work day in and day out at a job that pays barely enough to feed and shelter you is an alien thought. Not to mention, the stress it puts on people I can’t bare to think of. And yet, these are just the general struggles. Each person who is put into this situation might have a flaw, they might be addicted to drugs, have kids, medical issues, etc which all …show more content…
In particular, Ehrenreich’s experiment, where she travels from Florida, Maine, and Minnesota trying to find the lowest paying jobs in each state and tries build a life around that job. Gave a first hand account of working low wage jobs and allowed us to connect to Ehrenreich, because like us, Ehrenreich is educated and doesn't need to worry if she will eat tonight or if she can pay the bills, she is care free. But, as effective as Ehrenreich is I feel that it was the people Ehrenreich meets along the way that give real insight into the issue. People such as Holly, who worked as a maid with Ehrenreich and despite being “visibly unwell” refuses other to take her shifts because her boyfriend wants her to work (Ehrenreich 55). Or George who worked at Jerry’s Diner, who got in trouble when Ehrenreich tried to teach him english and was later accused of stealing( Ehrenreich 27). The people Ehrenreich met along the way are what drove me to read this to the end. For as much as I cared about Ehrenreich side it was seeing who she might meet next that kept me interested. I would go as far as to say that if Ehrenreich removed these parts from her book it would be significantly …show more content…
I felt that no matter what parameters you set to try and live that you couldn't capture what it's like. This is not to say that Ehrenreich failed or is a bad writer, but it is to say that I don’t think you can capture that moment unless you have to live it. Cause you have a safety net unlike others who are on a tightrope to survive and one wrong move could be devastating for them. That is to say that if Ehrenreich was starving, she could go get some food or needed a place to stay she could go to a hotel. Ehrenreich put her all into this experiment and I honor that and she created a fantastic book from her experiences. But, in the end she wasn't really living that life, she was pretending. That would be my only issue with Nickel and Dimed is that you can capture the struggle on the surface, but to genuinely know what it feels like to be in this position is something you have to live. Nevertheless, this is a minor issue and does not have any real effect on the book or its message, but was a thought I had since I started