Barbara Ehrenreich's 'Nickel and Dimed' is a piercing examination of the impact of low-wage work on individuals and society in America. At the height of welfare reform debates, Ehrenreich embarked on an experiential quest to understand the reality of surviving on minimum wage. She abandoned her middle-class comforts for a series of low-income jobs, including waiting tables, cleaning, and cashiering at Wal-Mart, revealing the exhausting nature of such work that is often invisibly underpinning the economy. With wry wit and clear-eyed analysis, Ehrenreich chronicles her struggle to secure basic needs, casting a stark light on the hidden struggles of the working poor and the stark contrast between poverty-level wages and the American dream of prosperity.