Our library's bookclub chose this book, and I'm sorry I had to miss the discussion.
Ehrenreich decided the best way to research a "living wage" was to try it. So temporarily, she left her husband and home to moved across the country, get a job, and find a place to live. Could it be done? She made a point to live on only what she could earn, and to use only life skills not earned by way of higher education or wealth. When she could no longer afford to live on her earnings, the experiment was over.
She repeats this scenario three times: as a waitress and hotel maid in Florida, working as a nursing home aid and cleaning houses in Maine, and a final stint (and her ultimate breaking point) in the Wal-mart women's clothing department in Minnesota.
The lengths to which she must stretch and conform to find housing is eye-opening. Each job will teach you a bit about things we each take for granted in the world around us. But the Wal-mart job ... well that's the one you'll remember.
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