Customer Reviews

The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans and Their Families

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although I haven't read the oft-referenced NICKLED AND DIMED, I discovered this book totally by accident and found it both informative and True. As one of the new "working poor", I responded immediately to the personal anecdotes. I am an educated white male in my early-forties who as recently as three years ago made $35,000 a year. Now, the best job I can find is in a bookstore for $8.50 an hour! And in my own immediate family, there are three others who have been struggling to find ANY job for two years, one of whom has a BA in Accounting!! So if anything, the book's alledged questionable anecdotes criticized by others certainly speak to this reader. Indeed, one could argue that anecdotes often reveal greater Truths than dry facts....

Of course, Shulman has an agenda, but it is one backed up by facts, quoted in her book and elsewhere. It is undebatably true that the job situation in the US is changing for the worse, and it doesn't take this book, or others, to prove it, but simple observation. However, it is great to see many of the facts I've heard so many times elsewhere collected in a single volume.

Sadly, Shulman is probably preaching to the converted. While I agree with every point in the book, its doubtful a Conservative or corporate-apologist would -- but then again, they are the ones who got us in this mess and are profiting from it, so what do they care? For me, this book makes me want to read more, so I think I'll check out "Nickled and Dimed" now....

This is a well documented, highly important book in the tradition of Nickel & Dimed. If you're interested in how our society fails to provide for millions of Americans who are working far more than 40 hour weeks, read this book.

Although in the blurb on the front of this book, Barbara Ehrenreich says she wishes she'd written it herself, this book is no Nickel and Dimed; it is less readable and much more tendentious. Beth Shulman does a satisfactory problem of describing the problems low-wage workers face (although I think she could've used a lighter hand with the statistics), but her proposed solutions are radically socialistic ones that in my opinion would have a devastating effect on the fabric of life in the U.S.

She does make several incisive points, though. Contrary to what many of us believe, there is very little mobility out of low wage work, even if one works hard. Also, low wage earners in most other affluent countries are significantly better off than their counterparts in the U.S., which is touted as the Land of Opportunity.

This book, for all its shortcomings, did make me think differently about low wage earners and the problems they face, but if you're only going to read one book on the subject, I'd recommend Nickel and Dimed.

The first chapter makes a clear case that being poor sucks. Then the second chapter makes a clear case that being poor sucks. Then the third chapter makes the case that being poor sucks, and finally, the fourth chapter makes the case that being poor sucks. So that's half the book.

If you are unsure about what it's like being poor (it sucks) the first half of the book is a must read.

The book is heavily researched and well cited. A first rate example of the use of authority to sound deep, profound,and well reasoned, while remaining, at heart, shrill, emotional, and shallow.

This effort is really an op-ed that has been stretched into a book for no sensible reason.

It's not that the content of this book was bad . . . what the author was saying was actually quite insightful. It's just that it's non-stop statistics. I don't think she comes up for air when she writes. I feel like I'm listening to a proof-texted sermon or a Southern Baptist sermon where statistics are looked up to prove things and ripped out of context on top of it. I hate statistics. It could be because I think you can make them say anything you want. But this book is all statistics. With each paragraph usually containing at least 2 sets and then the cited article or study that it was pulled from. But the bottom line of the book is that for the gross majority of Americans, "work" is no longer something that serves them or their community . . . but they serve the corporation. It focuses on the bottom 30% of the population, but discusses every economic class. And ultimately concludes that 60 hour weeks, low salaries, no health care, little vacation, and minimum wage our destroying our country. And that we spend more money fixing the problems in hindsight than creating solutions ahead of the curve. Which I'm down with.

Ordered this book late for my son who needed it for school. It came right away and in great condition for a used book!

Great book. Used it for one of my classes. To me it was a great motivator to extend my vision as far as I can.

For anyone interested in a grab bag of left-wing critiques and some possible corrective mechanisms of the current US job market, this is it.

The book does use extensive documentation from left-wing sources but the author also uses many anecdotes. In Ms. Shulman's world there are only hard-working oppressed employees and greedy slothful employers. Many of the methods that enhance efficiency in the market (such as monitoring employee performance) are dismissed as cruel and oppressive.

Some of Ms. Shulman's concerns and suggested corrections are perhaps worthwhile, but many aren't. More importantly, she completely dismissed or ignored some obvious trade offs. Shulman often contrasts better aspects of European labor markets with the US but never addresses their biggest drawback, higher unemployment, apparently assuming widespread equality and opportunity for all can be legislated despite years of trying without success. She may believe that low-wage workers might be better off on a generous public assistance system than in the workforce, but even that would be of no value to millions of immigrants, for whom she claims to be an advocate.

This book is really a road map for perhaps more leveled economy but one with far less opportunity for ambitious and aspiring workers at all income levels.