PurpleCar

In 2001 Barbara Ehrenreich wrote Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By in America.

You can get an idea of what the book is about by checking it out on Amazon; I won’t waste your time here reiterating a synopsis of a 7-year-old work.  I’ll simply give you some of my observations.

Ms. Ehrenreich doesn’t mention her upbringing, but judging by how she seems to be rubbernecking the poor as if they were a 3-jalopy-pile-up on the interstate, I’m assuming it was solidly middle class.  She details the daily struggles well, but she only touches on the culture of the poor.  She is always on the other side of the divider, peering in.  She seems to concentrate only on the money and survival.  Her tone is more political than condescending, but it seems like she found no solace in anything, anywhere.  About halfway through the book, I was feeling a bit defensive.  You see, until I was 13, I grew up in that car wreck.  Ms. Ehrenreich deigned to stop and watch for a few short months, but my formative years were trapped there.

In my life, I’ve been exposed to ridiculous wealth, depressing poverty, and middle class struggles. Read the rest of this entry »