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jarredshere's review against another edition
3.0
A bit dated but still a good perspective for those who aren't starting from 0
nickedkins's review against another edition
5.0
This is a useful book for showing just how vapid some of the arguments against a social safety net are. That low-paying jobs are easy, that assistance that is available on paper is available in practice, that class mobility is a matter of work ethic, or that poverty reveals a flawed character, are notions that don't survive contact with reality.
I've seen lots of reviews saying this book is insulting because Ehrenreich had family and wealth to return to if her experiment didn't work out. They say that she doesn't truly understand what it's like to be poor, so she has nothing to offer. I think this criticism is unfair. Ehrenreich says many times that her experience is easier than her co-workers'. She relates conversations and testimony from genuinely poor people. And in her evaluation of the experiment she concludes that the working class are under-compensated and under-valued by society. If she'd concluded that that life is not so hard, and that thrift and diligence could get you through, I'd agree with the critics, but she doesn't, so it's hard to imagine that these reviewers were reading the same book as me.
I've seen lots of reviews saying this book is insulting because Ehrenreich had family and wealth to return to if her experiment didn't work out. They say that she doesn't truly understand what it's like to be poor, so she has nothing to offer. I think this criticism is unfair. Ehrenreich says many times that her experience is easier than her co-workers'. She relates conversations and testimony from genuinely poor people. And in her evaluation of the experiment she concludes that the working class are under-compensated and under-valued by society. If she'd concluded that that life is not so hard, and that thrift and diligence could get you through, I'd agree with the critics, but she doesn't, so it's hard to imagine that these reviewers were reading the same book as me.
chknwng205's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming
ultimatekate's review against another edition
4.0
This is one book that I think all high schoolers should read--getting that $12/hour job may seem really promising, but it's really not enough to live on. And I like how Ehrenreich shows how the people who work these seemingly menial jobs--maids, waitresses, cashiers--are really looked down on.
hilaryannbrown's review against another edition
3.0
"Someday of course, they [the working poor] are bound to tire of getting so little in return, and to demand to be paid what they're worth. There will be a lot of anger when that day comes, and strikes, and disruption. But the sky will not fall. And we will all be better off for it in the end."
One of sociology's greatest hits.
That being said...the crucial findings, data, and takeaways are all in the last two sections.
It was impossible to survive on minimum wage in 1996 without welfare. It is even more impossible now.
One of sociology's greatest hits.
That being said...the crucial findings, data, and takeaways are all in the last two sections.
It was impossible to survive on minimum wage in 1996 without welfare. It is even more impossible now.
dotreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I read this while I was in college. I can’t remember which class, lol. I do remember it opened my eyes to the hopelessness of earning minimum wage and barely making it in America. I’m very grateful for my education and my job.