https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1869.Nickel_and_Dimed
I read Poor Economics three years ago and enjoyed it. Learned so much about how the society and the systems were created to make poor stay poor. Then last week I picked up this one.
It's about an American editor in 1990 who was middle-class but went undercover, pretending to be poor. She spent three month working various low-wage jobs—in fast food, hotels, and nursing homes. Basically, her experience perfectly matched the reasons why the poor find it so hard to escape poverty, just like it's explained in the book Poor Economics.
1) The Catch-22 of Housing
First, the housing situation is a total trap. A poor person can't afford a huge upfront cost, right? So, staying in an apartment would be cheaper in the long run, but she can't scrape together the money for the two months' rent deposit and first month's rent. This forces her into extended-stay hotels, which end up being way more expensive every single month.
2) No Energy, No Way Out
The editor then has no path upward and no energy left to even try. She's working two jobs just to pay the rent, so she's completely burnt out and can't think straight. On top of that, her coworkers are constantly backstabbing and dragging each other down, which is just mentally exhausting. And if she did try to switch jobs, she'd face even more scrutiny, paperwork, and mandatory drug tests.
3) The 'Pull Yourself Up' Myth
The whole 'rags-to-riches' myth is really just a way to exploit the poor. In cities and rural areas that lack decent public transportation, she absolutely needs a car to get to work. But because she's broke, the only car she can get is a cheap clunker that breaks down all the time, which just creates even more unexpected costs. More convinient public transportation? No, coz you are going to make it on your own.
When I read Poor Economics I really loved how they explained everything thorughly, and Nickel and Dimed is like a documentary, providing vivid examples to back the theories in Poor Ecomonics.
by dongludi