Barbara is 55 years old and trying her best to do the work of a 20-something—holding down physically demanding minimum wage jobs that are taking a toll on her back, her knees, and her spirit. In kinship with a community of charming and colorful characters, she brings the real-life hustle of the working poor to surprisingly comic light and casts a dark shadow of truth in this insightful, deeply personal, and heart-rending work. Nickel and Dimed reveals more than the ups and downs of the good people who struggle to make ends meet—it affirms the necessity of grit and the power of joy in making a living.
“Involving, important and urgently topical.” —Philadelphia Inquirer