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Barbara Ehrenreich
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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Paperback – May 1, 2002

by Barbara Ehrenreich (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4,121 ratings
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  1. Los Angeles Times Book PrizeWinner, 2001
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The New York Times bestseller, and one of the most talked about books of the year, Nickel and Dimed has already become a classic of undercover reportage.

Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was 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 $6 to $7 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 low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.
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  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Holt Paperbacks
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.92 x 0.69 x 7.78 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780805063899
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0805063899
  8. Lexile measure
    1340L
  9. See all details
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  1. In poverty, as in certain propositions in physics, starting conditions are everything.
    Highlighted by 1,349 Kindle readers
  2. Maybe, it occurs to me, I’m getting a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to be black.
    Highlighted by 1,211 Kindle readers
  3. The first thing I discovered is that no job, no matter how lowly, is truly “unskilled.”
    Highlighted by 875 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

This exposé puts human flesh on the bones of such abstractions as "living wage" and "affordable housing." Ehrenreich worked, for a month at a time, at "unskilled" jobs—as a waitress and chambermaid in Florida, a housecleaner and nursing-home aide in Maine, a Wal-Mart clerk in Minnesota—to report on how people survive on wages of six or seven dollars an hour. In an easy, conversational style, she brings us the daily life of the working poor and shows that their diligence and good nature cannot earn them a place to live—a social worker advised Ehrenreich to move to a shelter—or medical or dental care or, in some cases, enough to eat. In her last chapter, Ehrenreich suggests that the working poor are "the major philanthropists of our society," sacrificing their families, their health, their privacy, and their leisure so that the rest of us can live more cheaply and conveniently.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

Review

". . . you will read this explosive little book cover to cover and pass it on to all your friends and relatives."
--Diana Henriques, The New York Times [Business Section]

"Jarring, full of riveting grit . . . This book is already unforgettable."
--Susannah Meadows, Newsweek

"Angry, amusing . . . An in-your-face expose."
--Anne Colamosca, Business Week

"With grace and wit, Ehrenreich discovers . . . the irony of being nickel and dimed during unprecedented prosperity."
--Eileen Boris, The Boston Globe

"Ehrenreich is a superb and relaxed stylist [with] a tremendous sense of rueful humor."
--Stephen Metcalf, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Barbara Ehrenreich . . . is our premier reporter of the underside of capitalism."
--Dorothy Gallagher, The New York Times Book

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0805063897
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks (May 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780805063899
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805063899
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1340L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.92 x 0.69 x 7.78 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4,121 ratings

About the author

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Barbara Ehrenreich

Barbara Ehrenreich

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BARBARA EHRENREICH is the author of fourteen books, including the bestselling Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch. She lives in Virginia, USA.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4,121 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They praise the writing style as well-written, easy to read, and humanistic. Many consider it a worthwhile read that provides an accurate depiction of the low-wage world. The author's research and ability to describe the psychology and social interactions of low-wage workers are also praised. Overall, readers find the book authentic and realistic in its portrayal of the working class.

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ReadabilityInsightWriting qualityValue for moneyAuthenticityLookHumorAuthor's attitude
353 customers mention "Readability"326 positive27 negative

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's fresh writing style and bold voice. The book provides insights into the daily struggles of low-wage service workers. Readers also mention the premise is good overall.

"...I don't have a solution. I am not rich. But I FELT SO RICH reading this book...." Read more

"...It's a great book. Heart breaking and eye opening if you haven't lived any of it. Her humour still shines through as well. Highly recommend." Read more

"...It is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in a long time. Here were some of the things I admired: 1. Her writing ability...." Read more

"...Ehrenreich's writing is fresh and enjoyable to read, her voice bold and unapologetic...." Read more

182 customers mention "Insight"163 positive19 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights into the lives of people working low-wage jobs. They praise the author's sincere research and ability to describe the psychology and social interactions of these people. The book is described as an eye-opener, relevant, and a diary of experience, though it's dated.

"...How I feel is that these workers are like everyday people and once you get to know them they become a part of you just like everybody else...." Read more

"...The real story of this book is that a well-educated, resourceful, healthy woman was unable to make her ends meet in low-wage jobs across the country..." Read more

"...It's a great book. Heart breaking and eye opening if you haven't lived any of it. Her humour still shines through as well. Highly recommend." Read more

"...However, there is no question that what she has to say is serious food for thought, especially as regards the minimum wage...." Read more

85 customers mention "Writing quality"66 positive19 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the author's passion and humanist style. The details are clear and sharp, and the logic is impeccable. Readers find the book self-reflective and a quick read for 200 pages. They appreciate the author depicting the topic in realistic terms.

"...I found it an easy, five-hour read of 221 pages. The negative reviews of this book, I believe, are coming from two sorts of people...." Read more

"...Eminently readable (I finished in just under a day), Ehrenreich handles with humor, insight, and not a few footnotes the problems our economic..." Read more

"...1. Her writing ability. She has a wonderful fluid style that is very easy to read and yet which struck me as much easier described than done...." Read more

"...It seemed as I read through the pages that every word was dripping with unrealized insincerity, superiority and a lack of genuine compassion...." Read more

36 customers mention "Value for money"28 positive8 negative

Customers find the book a worthwhile read. They say it provides an insightful look into the low-wage world through a journalist's account. The author also mentions that she nailed the issue of low wages and the plight of those trying to make ends meet.

"...Mainly, just having good food to eat every day, and being able to pay for medical, or dental, care whenever I need it is a true luxury that we all..." Read more

"...However, I thought she nails the issue of low wages and the plight of those trying to live with those earnings...." Read more

"...around I found a great selection of the book I was looking for at fantastic prices. Even as new they were great prices...." Read more

"...; poor end up eating fast food meals which are unhealthy and an expensive way to eat, simply because they don't have the means to cook their own food..." Read more

32 customers mention "Authenticity"25 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the book's authenticity. They find it compelling, with real-life examples and hard facts. The author presents a realistic and unfortunately overlooked life style. Readers describe the book as honest and a true-to-life portrait of life at the bottom of America's economic scale.

"...This book provided some poignant and real life examples about the world of low-wage work, using instances that are glossed over in many facets of..." Read more

"...the book could have been half its length and still been entirely convincing and alarming." Read more

"...wings spread it cannot be denied that this is a superb work of investigative journalism...." Read more

"...This is an unblinking and meticulously documented look into the lives of millions of the hardest working Americans...." Read more

27 customers mention "Look"27 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it easy to read, realistic, and colorful. The voice is bold and unapologetic, with wit and verve. Overall, customers describe the book as lively, crisp, and enjoyable to read.

"I heartily recommend this book as a sobering and engaging look at the trials and travails of low-income workers in America...." Read more

"...3. The force of her message. There was something subtle and understated, or shall we say less than shrill, about the way she presents her case,..." Read more

"...Ehrenreich's writing is fresh and enjoyable to read, her voice bold and unapologetic...." Read more

"...I recommend this book as an overall fair and insightful look at those many of us will rarely interact with on an intimate level...." Read more

25 customers mention "Humor"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book witty and engaging. They describe it as a candid, entertaining read written with passion and eloquently.

"...Eminently readable (I finished in just under a day), Ehrenreich handles with humor, insight, and not a few footnotes the problems our economic..." Read more

"...Her humour still shines through as well. Highly recommend." Read more

"...2. Her sense of humor. Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of humor in this book and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times...." Read more

"...Her witty insights are entertaining, her stories of struggling to scrape together enough money to make the rent are sobering...." Read more

33 customers mention "Author's attitude"4 positive29 negative

Customers find the author's attitude condescending and patronizing. They describe her as mean-spirited and judgmental. Readers feel the book lacks social justice and hypocrisy, despite its claim to be a social justice novel.

"...My only complaint is that this author at times comes across as condescending, and it’s clear she has come from even more privilege than me." Read more

"...enjoyed this book even though I became angry at the lack of social justice in our society. Go Barbara Go!" Read more

"...This kind of hypocrisy, the critique of individuals based on stereotypes in contrast with the far reaching idealistic ideas of equality and the..." Read more

"...political persuasion to agree that this book is a very cold reminder of how capitalism works...." Read more

Good read
5 out of 5 stars
Good read
This book was a great read, and a good look into the life of people who work low-wage jobs to get by in the day to day life. Where a paycheck can never come fast enough, and the stress of your daily life adds up, this book covers all the bases of what life is like in the service and hospitality industry. Highly recommend.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jamie Huynh
    5.0 out of 5 stars A quite enjoyable book with a good lesson.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    What can I say about this book? When I started reading it I was as appalled and shocked with the introduction as one might expect, she is going to give up her PH.D high salary lifestyle to go "mingle" with the minimum wage world so she can try to find some secret economy about the poor and than write a book about it? Sounded like a complete waste of time nonetheless demeaning like the poor was s disease that she was going to do research on. However as I got further into the book I knew that my concepts were going to change about her.The longer you stare into the abyss the longer it stares back at you, in chapter 1 of Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich author of the book was preparing to set off into an adventure that eventually turns a bit out of hand. Ehrenreich in need of a minimum wage job to start off everything had filled out 22 applicants for jobs and none of them called back leaving the impression that the employers simply put in the advertisement solely as a "filler" to replace the ones that are going to quit or get fired. Having read this first chapter I could tell already this journey of Ehrenreich is going to be a lot more grueling than she signed up for, seeing as how they treat their employees as expendable workers with no skills. Ehrenreich in return had no choice but to accept a job as a waitress, a job that she didn't want to take seeing as how she already was one when she was 18 and did not much enjoy the job, however Ehrenreich soon realizes that the job was more than a job and she soon felt responsible for delivering the food to the customers in need and soon starts to bond with them in her workplace. The accountability for the customers Ehrenreich served soon escalated as she picked up the tab for a customer who spent most of his money on dental surgery wanting them to be happy, Ehrenreich states ""If you seek happiness for yourself you will never find it. Only when you seek happiness for others will it come to you", (20). It's as though this job is starting to grow on her and becoming a part of her very nature and instilling morals in her. After reading the first chapter of this book I am appalled and amazed at this, It reinforces everything of my ideals and philosophy as I believe that working hard and doing manual labor instills great morals and responsibility into a person and trains that person to appreciate things in their life more, not less. Ehrenreich soon finds out that there is no secret economy to the poor and their whole life is horrifying compared to her old one and even now she is well-off than most of her co-workers who are living in trailer parks or in their cars in front of a parking lot. What endows me with adrenaline even more was reading that when Ehrenreich tried to return to her old life to catch up on things, she soon realized she wasn't the same person anymore, the foreshadowing of her life that has been flipped is amazing. How I feel is that these workers are like everyday people and once you get to know them they become a part of you just like everybody else. In the end of all of this Ehrenreich only felt failure, she states "I am in a position to realize, for the first time in many years, that the tear ducts are still there and still capable of doing their job", (48) the thought going through her mind as she quitted both her jobs in a semi-dramatic fashion and soon came into the realization that she was human just as much as anybody else.
    - Jamie Huynh Review
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Imperial Topaz
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST Books I�ve Read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. I found it an easy, five-hour read of 221 pages. The negative reviews of this book, I believe, are coming from two sorts of people. First are those who wish the book to be something it is not. This book is NOT attempt to be a serious, sociological study. It is only what its author purports it to be-the experiences of ONE reporter, making three reasonable attempts, in three vastly different locales, to live at a minimally acceptable standard on the salaries offered in low-wage service positions.
    Other criticisms of this book came from those who felt the author was a left-wing extremist, against the rich, advocating transfer payments from rich to poor. A few people ranted and raved, in their reviews, about what "solutions" she was advocating. I think these people didn't read very carefully. I did not find her advocating any solutions at ALL, only bringing up the dilemmas, and posing questions that we should ALL be posing. But to accuse the author of advocating things which she did not say, is akin to putting words in her mouth, by some people who literally feel threatened by anyone who asks the questions she poses!
    The most overwhelming feeling I got from reading her book was of HOW RICH I AM (and I'm an American living in a third-world country)! Anyone who is feeling the least bit sorry for themselves in this life should read this book, and they will IMMEDIATELY feel better. Mainly, just having good food to eat every day, and being able to pay for medical, or dental, care whenever I need it is a true luxury that we all forget about, as well as having a comfortable roof over my head. We are all guilty of taking these things so much for granted, when we have them.
    The most important conclusion the author draws in this book is that low-wage jobs are so far out-of-whack with the costs of housing, and that this is what is just killing people, and keeping them barely surviving. She shows how this situation has gotten worse in recent years. It is certainly true that most people in low-wage jobs are working two jobs to make ends meet. I know this from personal experience. My husband, a foreign immigrant to America for a time, worked in a hotel cleaning rooms. He was the ONLY person who did not go to a second job at the end of an 8-hour shift (as we fortunately didn't NEED him to do that). What this author, and most Americans, may not realize however, is that this is NOT just an AMERICAN problem. It is true that the more socialistic countries in Europe "distribute the wealth" to lower-income persons. But they are about the ONLY countries in the world that do (Canada may also). In MOST countries of the world, salaries are FAR out-of-whack with housing costs. And the disparity if FAR worse than in America. But there is one difference in America. America has a lot of laws making it illegal to have too many people living in an apartment, for example. You aren't allowed to have more people that two in an apartment for each bedroom. In third-world countries, these restrictions don't exist. So you could have ten people crowding into a one-bedroom apartment. And believe me, they sometimes do. It's the only way to make ends meet, for a lot of people. This is a problem that has been with us since the world began, and will continue. I don't have a solution. I am not rich. But I FELT SO RICH reading this book. This book will help any person to really freshly appreciate what they do have. I HIGHLY recommend it to EVERYONE.
    29 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Halifax Educator
    5.0 out of 5 stars How American social policy has failed workers.
    Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book was a comprehensive ethnography about people who are barely getting by. The author became a min wage earner to study the lives of those that society has forgotten. The book was absolutely amazing. A must read for any person concerned about the level of inequality in the US.
    Report
  • Harry Polman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stuivers en dubbeltjes van Barbara Ehrenreich
    Reviewed in Germany on November 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    De auteur, Barbara Ehrenreich, duikt in de Amerikaanse economie onder daar waar de uurlonen minimaal zijn. Zij probeert uit te vinden of het mogelijk is met dit soort uurloon bij een 40-uursbaan zelfstandig te kunnen leven zonder in geldnood te komen. Tijdens haar onderduik spreekt ze met tijdelijke collega's en managers. Regelmatig loopt zij tegen een muur op wanneer het einde van de maand in zicht komt. huren zijn hoog en een eigen huis is hebben is te duur. Velen zijn dus veroordeeld tot het wonen in motels en pensions waar het leven geen pretje is. Zeker als je ook nog kinderen hebt. Het boek is met vaart geschreven en geeft een goede inkijk in de omstandigheden van de laagst betaalden.
    Report
  • Esther García
    5.0 out of 5 stars Como siempre, un libro indispensable de su autora
    Reviewed in Spain on July 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Un estudio de la vida dura de las camareras y limpiadoras realizado por una magnífica escritora que fue capaz de vivir como ellas y con ellas
    Report
  • Amrita Suresh
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Salute!
    Reviewed in India on September 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I very rarely write a review, the minute I finish reading a book, yet this particular master piece simply took my breath away! I want to thank the authoress for actually going under cover as a low wage worker in the US, just to show to the world just how difficult it is for the blue collar hardworking souls to survive! It's truly changed my perspective for life! A must read, indeed!
    Report
  • Charles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Depressing But Importand Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Both England and America have a phenomena know as the working poor, these are people that work one or more jobs yet still cannot make ends meet.

    This book was written by a journalist investigating what's it like to be a low pay worker in America.

    The author took various low paying jobs and tried to survive on the wages and had a very tough time.
    Jobs such as cleaning turn out to be very demanding physically leaving the workers with permanent damage to their bodys. The cleaning company charged $25 per person hour but only pays the worker $6.65 per hour.

    The high cost of housing and low pay means workers cannot just give up their current job and look for another as they will not be able to pay their rent while looking for a job.

    Other low pay workers cannot afford health care to fix heath problems, the health problems then cause them to lose their jobs and get even poorer.

    Poor public transport in many parts of America means if you cannot afford a car you choice of jobs is limited to your local area only making the choice of work for the poor worse.

    It comes obvious that been poor in America actually traps people when vital needs such as health care and transportation are only for people that can afford it. No wonder social mobility in America is so bad and the poor have decreased in wealth in the last 30 years while the rich have gotten even richer.
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