{"book":{"book":"Nickel and Dimed","author":"Barbara Ehrenreich","publicationYear":2001,"description":"In this classic work of investigative journalism, Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover across America to experience low-wage employment firsthand. She worked various jobs including as a nursing aide, waitress, hotel maid, and retail worker to understand the reality of making a living at the bottom of the economy. The book exposes the structural difficulties and daily hardships faced by minimum-wage workers trying to survive. It also takes direct issue with the pervasive characterization of such jobs as 'unskilled' labor. Ehrenreich's reporting continues to prompt readers to deeply reconsider their relationship to work, wages, and social class.","image":"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2160x2160+0+0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2F76%2F479845e14cee8bde8c4fac2a2fef%2F265a3c20-88fa-42c0-af36-38667566a6cd.jpg","date":"2026-10-16"}}