First published 2001
Barbara Ehrenreich leaves her comfortable life behind to take on minimum-wage jobs across the country. Struggling to survive on fast-food wages, she faces a grinding daily grind of long hours, impossible living costs, and the grim realities of life in the underclass. As she navigates a world of constant financial stress and physical exhaustion, Ehrenreich uncovers the stark disparities that define modern American prosperity - and the immense resilience required to keep from falling through the cracks.
Genres: american, economics, social-issues, non-fiction, biography-memoir, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, social-commentary
Setting: Key West, Florida, Portland, Maine, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, USA
Period: 1998-2000, 1990-
256 pages · Paperback · Metropolitan Books