Serving in Florida

"Serving in Florida" is the first chapter of Nickel and Dimed, which follows Barbara Ehrenreich, the writer and narrator of the book. She is a writer who decides to start a "low-wage life" in order to investigate and document the lifestyle. The "American Dream" was what first caught my attention. Living a "low-wage life" is pretty much how I imagined it to be. No health care, no stable place to live in, a horrible job and employee, and a lot of traveling. Reading Ehrenreich's description of the workers of Hearthside and their situations gave me a grim picture on how little money can get. In other words, how much money is needed to live a 'comfortable' lifestyle.

The one quote that really caught my eye was an interview question: "Would I turn in a fellow employee if I caught him stealing?" I don't know if I could risk my job or position, especially if I was living in poverty, to help or save a colleague like George. Overall, I think that the excerpt was an interesting read. Ehnrenreich being the writer and narrator did give me some doubts on her writing. I've always learned to be skeptical of stories written only through the perspective of one person; there is more than one side to the story.