Nickel and Dimed

This is the 2and Barbara Ehrenreich book I'm reviewing, and my love-hate relationship with her continues. In this book Barb embarks on an experiment that follows her getting a minimum wage job and trying to live off of that income which includes housing, food, end even unexpected expenses. The result? Exactly what we're all thinking, damn near impossible. As we see in this book, though Barb is working full time, she quickly discovers one job won't cut it, and has to balance two full time jobs at once just to be able to afford rent and fast food. Immediately she realizes her coworkers can't afford rent either and are either living with their adult children or a cheap motel in order to afford food and bills. It's honestly fascinating watching someone from the top 20% of our society make a move to the lowest 20% and try to survive, and I don't mean that in a cruel way. This book took place between 1998-2000, and yet in 20 years, minus the boom of the internet and a new ability to make a career solely online, nothing has changed in our middle and lower class. Minimum wage is still $7.25/hr, meanwhile the cost of living has skyrocketed to where even a cheap motel will be too expensive to live in, and fast food, minus the dollar menu, is more expensive than just buying boatloads of pasta at your local supermarket. Highly recommended, 10/10⭐