Hearthside and Heartache

Reading Response: Nickel and Dimed, section 1.

Barbara Ehrenreich did a gutsy thing when she decided to take on an intense journalism assignment; for a month she would live as a minimum wage worker to see if it was possible to make ends meet on such a small salary. She soon discovered, though, that it was impossible to remain cool and distant from the troubles and heartaches of the working poor when she was living as one.

One thing that she specifically complained about, which stood out to me, was having to wait tables for "Visible Christians." Those who were most noticeably believers tended to be the worst customers. "The worst, for some reason, are the Visible Christians-like the ten-person table, all jolly and sanctified after Sunday night service, who run me mercilessly and then leave me $1 on a $92 bill." As a strong Christian myself, it disheartens me when those who claim to follow Christ fall so disgustingly short and seem to think that they are exempt from acting like regular, respectable members of society.

So far, I like this book. The author is witty and the subject is engaging. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Ehrenreich's adventures as one of the working poor.