RR#4

          The author, Barbara Ehrenreich, does a research about whether single mothers that are living in America right now can survive solely on what they make in their minimum wage jobs.  Because of the Welfare reform going on, she decides to survive on minimum wage in three different cities in America.  First she lives in Key West where she works at two different restaurants and a housekeeper at the same time.  She lives in a trailer and an efficiency, and there learns that there are hidden costs to being poor.  She learns that if you can't afford a security deposit for an apartment, then you will have to live in a hotel which is very costly.  She also learns that if you have only one room, you can't save money on cheap or healthier foods.  If you have no health insurance, health bills can be very costly and significant.  
          The next town that she moves to is in Maine because it has an almost all white minimum wage work force.  She works at a nursing home on the weekends and also works for a cleaning service during the week while she was living in a cottage.  In Maine, she learns that almost nobody is willing to give assistance to the poor no matter how much she tries, rude people give her no help and ignore her.
          The last place that Ehrenreich moves to is in Minnesota where she believes that the rent and wages will be better there.  She decides to work at Wal-Mart while living in Minnesota.  Housing is extremely hard to find and she eventually moves into a hotel, but that is also super hard for her budget, but the safest place for her to live.  She applies to several stores and learns how long and hard it is as well as the worries of drug testing and application process.
          My reaction to the book is that it really is crazy to see how bad some people live life and how hard it is to get a job and be able to take care of a family.  It is even harder for single mothers because some jobs are more sexist and won't hire some women.  It gives me a real look into how hard life is for the less fortunate and that I really want to finish college and schooling so that I can get a good job.