I believe that every single parent should read this book right before their kids graduate college. I have graduated from college, have my degree, and I'll be danged if I can find a decent paying job with insurance. Our Wal-mart was going to pay me only 6.75 an hour..and that was with money added in for years spent working on a farm..and that was with my degree. Not something a person could live on. This book is a must so that people can understand why so many college kids are coming back home (like I did). You just can't make it out there anymore it seems, and 7 bucks an hour won't pay the rent...and that is being serious.

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An eye-opener, though I wish people of all financial status and age could have the opportunity to read this. Provides just the icing on the cake insight into the "working class." Quite interesting to see the growing paranoia of the author as she struggles to find semi-decent housing- perhaps this was the biggest struggle she had to face during her research. She does end with some broad rather PC conclusions but you have to remember that she's now back to her high-paying job and upper-middle class lifestyle. She's able to end on a cheery note that does not match the true dire conditions of the struggling working class Americans.

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Wow...and I thought "I" didn't make enough money! Eye opening, surely! Truly makes you think about the true meaning of a 'living wage'.

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This was a very interesting social experiment about living (or not being able to live) on minimum wage. She works 5 different jobs throughout the book and talks about each one in detail. I really enjoyed it!

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Great insights into the working poor. I would highly recommend this book! It was a highly interesting and fast read.

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This book was eye opening to the ways many Americans are forced to live. The author decided to try living on low wages of $7 an hour in three different cities. She faces difficulty finding affordable housing and quality food on her low wages. The author had the option of returning to her life when things got tough that others don't have. I wish the author had gotten the views of her colleagues on her jobs rather than just giving us her perspective. But feel she did a good job of letting the reader know what she experienced in her jobs and the difficult decisions she had to make.

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Well-researched book about the difficulty of living on low-wage jobs. The author writes well, with a sense of humor and a great deal of compassion for the people she encountered.

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I thought this book was fascinating! It gives an insight into what it is like to work in minimum wage jobs and to try to make ends meet on a less than living wage. The author spends a year in several different low-wage fields (waitressing, housecleaning, working at Walmart, etc) and she gives an honest account of the experiences, both good and bad that she takes away. A must-read for anybody fortunate enough not to have to live through this scenario in real-life. It gave me a totally new perspective.

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Hard truths about what life is like when all you have is a minimum wage job (or two).

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Pretty good

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Well written and empathetic.

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Not bad. This should be required reading of anyone who has it made. I work for the federal government. 90% of my coworkers do not appreciate just how soft we have it. Reading this book provides meaning to the expression: "There by the grace of God go I". But sadly most people who do read it will not even see why a middle class is so badly needed.

Recommend if you have a spoiled child that you require he/she to read this.

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Okay, but lacking in "the other side of the story."

Read "Scratch Begginings: Me, $25 and the Search for the American Dream" by Adam W. Shepard, if you desire true balance on this issue and a more hopeful look at the still-present American Dream.

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