Nickel and Dimed
Also known as Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 undercover account of living on low-wage work.
At a glance
Key ideas
Not unskilled, Hidden costs, Tests and controls …
See all 4Follow-up
Bait and Switch
Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Ehrenreich worked undercover in low-wage jobs to see whether she could match income to expenses, investigating the effects of the 1996 welfare reform.
- She found that such work demands stamina, focus and quick learning, and that one job is often not enough to live on.
- The poor pay hidden costs for housing and food.
- She concludes that the working poor are "the major philanthropists of our society".
Why it matters
- It became a defining book on American working poverty and is widely taught and widely challenged.
Key facts
- Author
- Barbara Ehrenreich1
- Published
- 2001, Metropolitan Books1
- Reporting
- Between spring 1998 and summer 20001
- Grew from
- Her article in Harper's Magazine, January 19991
- Rankings
- 13th on The Guardian's 100 best books of the 21st century (2019); 57th on The New York Times's list (2024)1
- Challenged
- The 39th most frequently challenged book in the US from 2010 to 2019, per the American Library Association1
Key ideas
-
Not unskilled1
Low-wage jobs require stamina, focus, memory and quick learning.
-
Hidden costs1
Without deposits or kitchens, the poor pay more for shelter and food.
-
Tests and controls1
Personality and drug tests deter applicants and intrude on liberty.
-
Anonymous donors1
The working poor subsidise everyone else through their sacrifices.
Follow-up
-
Bait and Switch1
Her 2005 companion book on looking for a white-collar job.
Connections
Written by
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
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