Rent Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream

Synopsis

After writing about her dispiriting experiences as a member of the working poor in NICKEL AND DIMED, Barbara Ehrenreich sets out to get a job in the corporate world. What she gets is a job search, rather than a job, as she finds out that getting a job can be real work. 'Barbara Alexander' (Ehrenreich's undercover name) spends months with all kinds of people who seem willing to help her polish her r'sum' and fill her with uplifting motivation--for a price. She learns new ways of dressing, moving, and speaking, and finds that qualifications and experience seem to matter little. Ehrenreich gets close to the window of the candy store and peers in, only to discover that those who have managed to land jobs in the white-collar world are often miserable, overworked--and disposable.

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