Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Nickel and Dimed Review of Night Shade By Elizabeth Murray Radical Influence: Review of Spoken Word Revolution Redux By Romella D. Kitchens Creative Nonfiction Toiling in the Garden of Memory By Madonna Dries Christensen Poetry Homecoming By Nic Sebastian Maple Syrup Emergency By Paul Carlino Bathroom Visitor By Michael Lee Johnson Fiction A Job Well Done By Catherine Cheek Animal Man By R.B. Trout Watch Over By S.K. Tatiner The Frailty of Perfection By William R. Stoddart Eat Drink and Be Merry By Rebecca Barbush Cover Art "Riot of Flowers" By Dee Rimbaud About the Contributors © 2007, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Kenneth Weiss, Ed.D Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Senior Editor - Patti Kurtz Senior Editor - Neeldhara Misra Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Blog Contributing Editor - Maggie Koster Education Blog Contributing Editors - Jordan Wirfs-Brock, Kim Haynes Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Review of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America By Barbara Ehrenreich ISBN-10: 0805063897 By Joseph Koch Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is something everybody should read. It chronicles the best-selling author's experiment: she decided to join the rank-and-file workforce of 2001, working and living at $7/hr. to see if she could flourish, or survive at least. Ehrenreich's odyssey began with simply applying for jobs in the first place. She talks about scooting all over cities in Maine, Florida, and Minnesota burning gas getting to places, only to fill out mind-numbing, and not-very-subtly-humiliating personality surveys designed to catch would-be thieves and “potheads”, but which really only succeeded in making her feel like a child who couldn’t be trusted or worse, like absolutely nothing. Once Ms. Ehrenreich was able to find work, she discovered she had no choice except to work a minimum of two jobs in each location. No single job she was able to apply for, perform, and maintain could sustain very basic living expenses. What finally ended her sojourn ahead of schedule was the simple inability to find affordable housing that wasn’t abominable, and still continue her punishing work schedule. Ehrenreich did her best to work in a representative variety of Locales and jobs. She worked as one of the famed "Merry Maids", a waitress, a nursing home ward employee, and as an associate at Wal-Mart. Her level of success at each job, and creating a life for herself based around the income from these jobs was varied. I thought the very best part was the Afterward. Her comments about what her experiences as a $7.00/hr employee and their implications for the country as a whole are profound. The book's ending also contains thoughtful questions for further discussion. Nickel and Dimed would be useful for book club discussion groups and classrooms at any level from 7th grade to collegiate level. This book could be used to illustrate what the working world is like for young students in history, economics, and language arts classes. In higher grades and college the book could be used for the same things, and also business ethics, and world/corporate business practices. |