Post by jordynperry on Aug 9, 2011 16:30:02 GMT -5
I agree with what Barbara was attempting to do in her book "Nickel and Dimed", I agree that the issue of too few low-cost apartments are on the market, and I agree whole-heartedly that something needs to be done about the current minimum wage. What I couldn't stand about this book, though, was how it was narrated and (by the end) who it was narrated by.
"But warnings about the heat and allergies put me off, not to mention my worry that the Latinos might be hogging all the crap jobs and substandard housing for themselves, as they so often do."
...SERIOUSLY? I enjoyed the book's contents, I found the plight of the lower working class to be very interesting reading, and I was even all-right with most of the characters. There were just two things I couldn't stand. One was her obvious, annoying, outlandish racism stated in such a 'facts of life' manner. 'Latinos hog all the crap jobs and substandard housing'. I wouldn't be shocked if one of those Latinos chased her down and knocked the bejeezits out of her. By the time I was finished her piece I know I wanted to. The other is her constant woe-is-me attitude.
"If I was paying rent by the week and ran out of money I would simply declare the project at an end; no shelters or sleeping in cars for me. Furthermore, I had no intention of going hungry. If things ever got to the point where the next meal was in question, I promised myself as the time to begin the experiment approached, I would dig out my ATM card and cheat."
She basically said at the beginning of the book that she could get out of her situation any time she liked, she said that she was never going to let herself go through any real hardship like starvation or lack of housing. But what did she do the whole book? Whine whine whine! It would have almost been better if she would have just picked a reasonable apartment, used her own money, and then worked at one of the jobs to see what it was like, and theoretically looked around for affordable food/housing that her fellow workers may be/were using. At least then readers would be hearing more about the troubles of the actually poor individuals that she met, rather than her annoying sob story.
The book was interesting. I liked the idea of the experiment, I like the in-depth feel of what was going on, and I liked the facts. But the author got on my last nerve. I didn't pick up that book hoping to learn about the (fake) hardest months of her life, to listen to an old woman whine about a little time out of her pampered life, or to hear her condescending words about those of other races. I picked up that book hoping to learn about the perilous lives of the underprivileged. And, on the plus side, I think I did. It just happened to be smothered by the woes of a woman who more than likely shouldn't have been the one doing the experiment in the first place.
"But warnings about the heat and allergies put me off, not to mention my worry that the Latinos might be hogging all the crap jobs and substandard housing for themselves, as they so often do."
...SERIOUSLY? I enjoyed the book's contents, I found the plight of the lower working class to be very interesting reading, and I was even all-right with most of the characters. There were just two things I couldn't stand. One was her obvious, annoying, outlandish racism stated in such a 'facts of life' manner. 'Latinos hog all the crap jobs and substandard housing'. I wouldn't be shocked if one of those Latinos chased her down and knocked the bejeezits out of her. By the time I was finished her piece I know I wanted to. The other is her constant woe-is-me attitude.
"If I was paying rent by the week and ran out of money I would simply declare the project at an end; no shelters or sleeping in cars for me. Furthermore, I had no intention of going hungry. If things ever got to the point where the next meal was in question, I promised myself as the time to begin the experiment approached, I would dig out my ATM card and cheat."
She basically said at the beginning of the book that she could get out of her situation any time she liked, she said that she was never going to let herself go through any real hardship like starvation or lack of housing. But what did she do the whole book? Whine whine whine! It would have almost been better if she would have just picked a reasonable apartment, used her own money, and then worked at one of the jobs to see what it was like, and theoretically looked around for affordable food/housing that her fellow workers may be/were using. At least then readers would be hearing more about the troubles of the actually poor individuals that she met, rather than her annoying sob story.
The book was interesting. I liked the idea of the experiment, I like the in-depth feel of what was going on, and I liked the facts. But the author got on my last nerve. I didn't pick up that book hoping to learn about the (fake) hardest months of her life, to listen to an old woman whine about a little time out of her pampered life, or to hear her condescending words about those of other races. I picked up that book hoping to learn about the perilous lives of the underprivileged. And, on the plus side, I think I did. It just happened to be smothered by the woes of a woman who more than likely shouldn't have been the one doing the experiment in the first place.