Review: Nickel And Dimed

By Author: Alyice Edrich
Total Articles: 12
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Nickel and Dimed
By Barbara Ehrenreich
ISBN 0-8050-6389-7
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

I believe one of the books our political leaders should be required to read, when getting in public office, or while in office, is Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

One of the main reasons I feel our political leaders should read this book, is so that they can get a true account of what goes on in our society, aside from the impersonal "statistics" that make many Americans seem more like a number and less like ...
... a human being.

It is easy to keep a distance and not fully understand the pains, turmoils, and conditions of the lower working class when one is sitting in an air conditioned office, driving luxury cars, and spending their days reading documents and implementing laws based on those documents.

Nickel and Dimed is the true account of what many Americans face on a daily basis hard working, under-educated, under-paid, under-insured, low income families working anywhere from one to three jobs, just to keep a roof over their families' heads and food on the table.

Nickel and Dimed takes a realistic look at what goes on when a person doesn't have the skills to maintain a decent living wage. It showcases the truth behind the reality that while our country is one of the best places to live and raise a family, our minimum wage standard does not meet standard living expenses.

In reading Nickel and Dimed, the reader is transformed from their cushy-lifestyle, and taken into a time and place that just doesn't seem to fit our ideals of "Living the American Dream." The reader will get a first-hand feel of what it means to not have enough money to feed your family, but make too much to get the proper assistance one needs. The reader will see what it is like to work hard and have enough to pay for a small apartment, but instead have to live in a motel because there isn't enough money to come up with the required deposit and first month's rent. And the reader will get a feel for how low income persons are treated and viewed by the upper (richer) class.

Nickel and Dimed is a book that should be read by every political leader, as well as every political person on the rise to the top. While the Declaration of Independence gives each American the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that road is often paved by many hard-working people who need to be reminded, every once in a while, that just because one is poor, doesn't mean one is less! And it most definitely doesn't mean that one is seeking the easy way
out, or asking for a "hand-out." It is time our political leaders take a stand in this country and offer more in the way of better working conditions, wages, and health benefits for those working their way from the bottom up!

About the Author Alyice Edrich is a freelance writer specializing in short product reviews for BUSY parents. Visit her online magazine, The Dabbling Mum (http://thedabblingmum.com), for no-hype home business ideas, writing tips, parenting advice and a way you can earn $50 in two hours!