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Barbara Ehrenreich
Bait and Switch
The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
Metropolitan Books, 2005
What's inside?
Go undercover with an investigative journalist as she explores white-collar unemployment in America.
Recommendation
Investigative journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, the best-selling author of Nickel and Dimed, goes undercover to experience the plight of the unemployed white-collar worker. She finds nothing less than the dissolution of the American Dream: a lack of job security even for those with unique skills, experience and tenure; corporate indifference; a general blame-the-victim response; and a very harsh economic environment. She covers the way members of the “transition industry” exploit vulnerable job seekers, making this a tell-all about a sometimes shady business as well as a personal saga. Those who played by the rules – they earned a college degree and secured a place on the corporate ladder – now find that the game changed. This is extra discouraging because Ehrenreich published this work in 2005, before the 2008 economic crisis. With some empathy for those – charlatans or not – who tried to help her without knowing she was an undercover reporter, getAbstract recommends Ehrenreich’s social commentary, wit, insight and her engaging, sardonic writing style.
Summary
About the Author
Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote Nickel and Dimed and Bright-Sided, is a New York Times columnist and contributing essayist for Harper’s and The Nation.
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