Nickel and Dimed: April 22, 2011. Journal 1

          Nickel and Dimed: Journal Number 1 (1-60)

This far in the book, the author has spent one month in Florida and is starting her next month in Maine.  Her time in Florida was primarily spent as a server and at this point in the book she is still job searching in Maine.  Before reading there were some assumptions that our group made.  We assumed the author would begin her work without as much as she did.  She decided to always have a car with her and she started with extra money in an “emergency fund”.  Trying to make ends meet with a car and extra cash makes it seem less risky for her and possibly not truly living like the poor.  As the book progresses, we are finding out that this book is written for anyone who is making more than minimum wage to show readers more of what it is like to live on minimum wage.  After reading this much, we have found that the author’s tone is casual.  She tells of experiences that are relatable.  She is very descriptive and gives characters to follow.  Some of the things the author does throughout this section of the book are surprising to the readers.  We were all surprised that she took time to go home and take breaks every now and then.  During her breaks at home she did still take money for food out of her minimum wage earnings which was surprising to us.  We all agreed that it would be very easy for her to “cheat” during her time at home.  Another thing we found surprising was that she found several help-wanted ads, but had such a hard time finding a job.  She looked through several papers and visited many hotels and restaurants, but still found it challenging to be offered a job.  This book is very relatable to the topics we have covered in class.  She is discouraged from taking jobs traditionally held by minorities in the Key West area.  An example of this is when she applies for a housekeeping position, but is instead steered towards waitressing in the attached restaurant because she is white and is a native English speaker.  Minorities were also discussed in class and brought up in this book.  Several of the workers making minimum wage that the author runs into in this book were of a minority.  The most recently discussed in class was the issue of poverty which directly relates to this book.  The whole purpose of this book is for the author to determine if it is feasible to live on minimum wage jobs. An important passage is on page 59. “What these tests tell employers about potential employees is hard to imagine, since the “right” answers should be obvious to anyone who has ever encountered the principle of hierarchy and subordination. The real function of these tests, I decide, is to convey information not to the employer but to the potential employee, and the information being conveyed is always: You will have no secrets from us. We don’t just want your muscles and that portion of your brain that is directly connected to them, we want your innermost self.” This is an important passage because it shows how the corporate world really sees its’ employees. It’s like the company owns the worker in and out of work. There really not treating them like people, but more like property. You will do this and do that.