Over the years, a teacher that I once had and now have the pleasure of working with has repeatedly recommended this book to me. She explained that it is written by a woman who takes low-wage paying jobs in different States to come to a better understanding of how the poor scrape by through life. Although I thought it was a clever idea I didn’t jump at the opportunity to read this book until recently I thought, if she has recommended it to me so often, I’ll probably like it!
I did enjoy the read very much. For one, I find the subject relevant to today’s society. While her book is concerned with only three states: Florida, Maine and Minnesota there is a consistent pattern that I think extends beyond the U.S. and throughout the Western world (we all know that working conditions are far worse in some other regions). It is clear that Ehrenreich and I are on the same page on many social issues such as poverty, racism and rights in the work place. I found myself in full agreement with just about everything she says but I was also quite shocked at some of her observations, some jobs sounding like borderline slavery. Furthermore, it is really does help put the reader in the shoes of people who depend on such work for a living. Even if you pride yourself on being understanding towards those who serve you in restaurants, hotels, retail, etc. you still don’t know how much they go through and how rewarding a customer’s kindness can really be.
Generally, I’m more drawn to literary texts which is probably what kept me from reading this book. However, Ehrenreich’s voice reminded me a lot of Joan Didion’s, one of my favorite female writers. Both writers have a feminine voice but there is that sincerity which keeps the voice from becoming strictly feminine alienating male readers. Also, Ehrenreich takes on some pretty grimy jobs where some things she describes have no room for femininity. For example, she goes into detail about the different kinds of shit she had to clean off toilets as a cleaning lady in Maine.
If you are looking for a quick and interesting reading, maybe you want to take a break from all that heavy duty literary shit you often find yourself reading, this is a nice, intelligent break!
I did enjoy the read very much. For one, I find the subject relevant to today’s society. While her book is concerned with only three states: Florida, Maine and Minnesota there is a consistent pattern that I think extends beyond the U.S. and throughout the Western world (we all know that working conditions are far worse in some other regions). It is clear that Ehrenreich and I are on the same page on many social issues such as poverty, racism and rights in the work place. I found myself in full agreement with just about everything she says but I was also quite shocked at some of her observations, some jobs sounding like borderline slavery. Furthermore, it is really does help put the reader in the shoes of people who depend on such work for a living. Even if you pride yourself on being understanding towards those who serve you in restaurants, hotels, retail, etc. you still don’t know how much they go through and how rewarding a customer’s kindness can really be.
Generally, I’m more drawn to literary texts which is probably what kept me from reading this book. However, Ehrenreich’s voice reminded me a lot of Joan Didion’s, one of my favorite female writers. Both writers have a feminine voice but there is that sincerity which keeps the voice from becoming strictly feminine alienating male readers. Also, Ehrenreich takes on some pretty grimy jobs where some things she describes have no room for femininity. For example, she goes into detail about the different kinds of shit she had to clean off toilets as a cleaning lady in Maine.
If you are looking for a quick and interesting reading, maybe you want to take a break from all that heavy duty literary shit you often find yourself reading, this is a nice, intelligent break!
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