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Overview
In the 2001 bestseller, Nickel and Dimed, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich investigates the plight of the working poor in America and reports on her stints as an undercover low-wage worker: waitress, cleaning woman, and retail clerk
. An earlier version of the work had appeared in Harper’s magazine in 1999. In 2021, a 20th-anniversary edition of the book was released with a new foreword that reveals that many of the unfair social and economic practices Ehrenreich exposed are not only still happening, but some—such as the high cost of housing—have gotten worse. Nickel and Dimed was ranked 13th on The Guardian’s list of 100 best books of the 21st century in 2019 and was named one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by the New York Times in 2024.Read the full book summary, a complete list of character descriptions, and explanations of important quotes from Nickel and Dimed.
