It鈥檚 hard to believe that next year will be the 15th anniversary of the publication of "Nickel and Dimed." Ehrenreich鈥檚 seminal nonfiction book is an incisive and cutting expos茅 that鈥檚 still just as relevant today: a definitive example of immersive journalism. Rather than just writing about poverty, the author worked low-paying jobs, including stints as a maid, a waitress, and a Walmart employee. 鈥淭he first thing I discovered is that no job, no matter how lowly, is truly 鈥榰nskilled,鈥� 鈥� she wrote. And while it鈥檚 true that she could return to her more privileged life at any moment, Ehrenreich鈥檚 experiment emphasized how difficult, discouraging, and exhausting it is to get by on pitiful wages.
