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Posted: 2/11/10

'Nickel and Dimed’ Subject of Next Book Club Meeting Feb. 17

 

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Participate in a lively and engaging conversation at the next Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library / Laredo Public Library / Phi Delta Kappa book club meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Laredo Public Library’s conference room, 1120 E. Calton Road.

The book up for discussion is “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich and copies are available on reserve at the Texas A&M International University Sue and Radclifffe Killam Library.

The bestseller and instant classic has sold almost two million copies.

John, M. Maxstadt, head of public services, Killam Library said the book discussions group is getting larger and lively and interesting.

According to the book jacket, “Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 - $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aid, and Walmart salesperson.

It continues, “She soon discovered that even the ‘lowliest’ occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors. ‘Nickel and Dimed’ reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprisingly generosity—a land of ‘big boxes,’ fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.”

For more information, contact Maxstadt at 326.2116 or jmaxstadt@tamiu.edu

For Library hours, visit library.tamiu.edu


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