Reading Guide: Nickel and Dimed

Reading Guide for

Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich

 

Before you read:
• Think about your previous work experiences.
• How much did you earn? What were you responsible for purchasing with your earnings?
• Think about the people you worked with. Were any of them supporting themselves on the same wage you were earning?
 • Vocabulary - Before you read, be sure you know the meaning of the following:
o Page 2 – autonomy, autonomous
o Page 8 – ineradicably
o Page 14 – surfeit
o Page 18 – vulnerable, vulnerability; nurturance; plurality
o Page 26 – solipsism
o Page 75 – cineast
o Page 137 – unctuous
o Page 157 - apotheosis

Introduction: Getting Ready
As you read, look for:

• The author’s three rules as she undertook this project.
• The limits she imposed
• How was the author different from the others working in these situations?

 Chapter One: Serving in Florida
As you read, look for:

• Her job search process
• Hearthside
• Her feelings about the customers that she served
• Her interpretation of the manager’s job
• Jerry’s
• Why many of the servers smoke
• The psychological “flow state”
• Housekeeping at the hotel connected to Jerry’s

Think about:
On page 27 she wrote, “In poverty, as in certain propositions in physics, starting conditions are everything.”

• What does this sentence mean?
• How do the following examples explain it in reference to poverty and homelessness?

 Chapter Two: Scrubbing in Maine

As you read, look for:

• Pre-employment tests – different types, types of questions, purposes
• Duties as Dietary Aid in Woodcrest Residential Facility
• The Maids – duties, co-workers
• Ted’s approval – why it is important to the workers

Think about:
On pages 109 – 114 Holly gets injured and refuses to take any action. Why?

• Should the author have handled this differently?
• What would you do?

 Chapter Three: Selling in Minnesota
As you read, look for:

• Budgie and her friend’s apartment
• Caroline’s story
• Why the author chooses Wal-Mart over Menards
• Duties as a Wal-Mart Associate
• The psychology behind the hiring process
• Housing issues in Minnesota
• Why people stay at their jobs and not question the pay

 Evaluation
As you read, look for:

•  What she learned about surviving and succeeding in the jobs she experienced
•  The connection between success at work and success managing day-to-day life
•  Low income housing crisis
•  Why workers do not demand higher wages and do not switch to better paying jobs
•  How employers work to keep wages low

Afterword: Nickel and Dimed

As you read, look for:

•  Reactions to the book
•  Progress or lack-of-progress for low-wage earners since 2001

For reflection and discussion:

• Explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 edition, online. Look at various jobs and their educational and skill requirements, average wages, etc.
• What have you learned through reading this book about the world of work?
• What successes did the author have during this endeavor? What failures? Do you think there was anything she should have done differently?
• How do you think she would have survived if this was really her life?