Relating to Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America"

By Hassan Muhammad

Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America was a very good way to portray the living conditions of the working poor. She gave up her good and prosperous lifestyle, although not entirely, just to experience what it would feel like to be a low-wage worker. She was awestruck by how her co-workers cope with such struggle. Many people, such as my friend Mark Burton, can relate to the lifestyle that the book portrayed. The book opened the ears of the people for the unheard voices of the poor and “middle-class.”

Ehrenreich, a journalist and an author, gave up her good and satisfactory lifestyle to feel and experience what it is like to be poor, working at a low-wage job, living in a really small and tight place, and spending money like how a poor person would when trying to save money. I personally know friends and relatives that are struggling in the same situation. My friend’s, Mark Burton, health is at risk because he lives in a small and unsanitary apartment that he pays $300 every month for. He barely has enough money for food and he doesn’t have a car. Ehrenreich did not suffer, however, for her job was simply to write about the life of the low-wage workers and, if needed, she would have used her own money just to keep her good health.

Many of her poor co-workers struggled with low-wage life. They did everything they could just to make ends meet. Many of them worked the living life out of themselves just for very little money, similar to my friend Mark. Despite of all the hardships most of them share a good laugh from time to time and when they do, it does not come unnoticed by Ehrenreich. Mark finds a way to enjoy time with his friends even if it’s just playing basketball or walking at the park. He’s making the best of what he’s got.

            My friend Mark Burton actually read the book before. He really enjoyed and agreed about every single thing that the author talked about. He cried while talking to me and relating to the story, “It’s just sad to get out of the little bubble that you enclosed yourself in to forget about your struggle and realize that the next day you have to chip a nail, get a bruise, get a wound and hurt your back to earn enough money for a single piece of bread.” He felt, oddly enough, happier. Happier because he’s not the only one struggling and that there are a lot of people like him.

            The book opened the ears of the people for the unheard voices of the poor and “middle-class”. She portrayed the low-wage life very well. Her story related to many people that I know. She saw that you could still have a laugh or two while struggling in life. Mark agrees and became really emotional when he tried relating. If it wasn’t for Ehrenreich’s book, we wouldn’t be as informed as we are now and the problem of the working poor would be unheard.