Barbara Ehrenreich began this New York Times Bestseller with an anecodote about being assigned "the old-fashioned kind of journalism—you know, go out there and try it [your]self" (1). The "it" in question began with the simple task of making it in America as an underpaid, low-skilled worker. And that's exactly what Barbara did. Although some critics question the authenticity of her project, (Barbara even notes herself that her "rules" and "limits" are luxuries that none of the workers around her have, and thus could be considered cheating) her work still manages to truly open the eyes of middle and upper class workers who rarely take the time to recognize the difficulties of being a waitress or maid in America.
Although the statistics referenced and analysis of the cost of living even in a trailer park are very effective in demonstrating the plights of poverty, Ehrenreich's best rhetorical strategy is the emotional component to her story. She introduces us to several heroes and heroines that stay in "flophouses," their vans, trailers, hotels, and even boats, as well as the antagonistic corporate workers who demand workers to be on their feet for 10 or more hour shifts without even bathroom breaks. In this chapter, "Serving in Florida," Barbara talks about a Czech immigrant who was fired for stealing what Barbara guessed to be "some Saltines or a can of cherry pie mix and that the motive for taking it was hunger" (41). Anybody can be stunned by some facts about the percentage of the working force that is homeless or the number of hours low-class workers end up working per week, but to read these heart-wrenching, yet also at times funny and touching, stories really changed they way I perceive the poor. There are few words that I could use to describe Nickel and Dimed, but one of them would be: unforgettable.
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