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Collin Graham
Ms. Stinnett
English 12-P. 5
23 September 2016
Annotated Bib: Nickel and Dimed
Research Question: How does having minimum wage jobs affect our economy and inflation?
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. Henry Holt and Company. 1 January 2001. Book. 23
September 2016
Summary: The novel, Nickel and Dimed, was a compelling story about a high-class journal
writer going and taking the places of low class citizens. Barbara discovers the many challenges
that come with working a low wage job. She learns that people are not necessarily lazy, rather
that it is very hard to make decent money on a low wage job. When writing this, Barbara was
trying to show people that our higher standard of living is harder to achieve depending on the job
you work. The overall idea throughout each chapter was to make enough money in one month to
be able to survive the next. This remained a challenge wherever she went and no matter the job
she had.
Reflection: Nickel and Dimed was a story within a book of facts. She really did work these jobs,
made minimum wage, lived in crummy houses and barely had enough money to pay for her next
meal. Therefore, this source is a valid one for information. Ehrenreich stays mostly unbiased
throughout the novel. She gives fake names for the places she works and gives good
descriptions on how life was. The only problem I had with this source is that she had a
lifeline. She was never truly willing to dump all her personal money and completely start

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fresh, and I believe this swayed her thinking a little bit when faced with choosing what to buy.
This source influenced me to go out do more research about the minimum wage jobs she was
working.
Greenblatt, Alan. Fixing the Floor. Governing Sept. 2016: 12. Academic OneFile. Web. 19
September 2016.
Summary: This article was about improving the pay for minimum wage workers. The low wage
jobs are getting an increase in pay that is helping these workers. The laws being passed enforce
these rules very strictly, in businesses that don't usually have to follow minimum wage laws, like
restaurants. Along with these wage increases, the workers are also starting to receive health
benefits. Now a days, individual states get to decide when they want to raise the wage gap
depending on how it will affect the economy.
Reflection: This source is reliable for my research because it talks about what is happening to
wages across the country. This source is completely unbiased. The facts of the countries wage
crisis is given. This sources altered my perspective on how low skill workers are paid in this
country. The legitimacy of this source also affects the how it influenced my research.
Furtchgott-Roth, Diana. Why minimum wage laws hurt America inFOCUS Summer 2016: 6+.
Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
Summary: This article is about the wage raises across the united states. In Washington D.C. the
minimum wage has increased up to $15.25 from $7. This greatly affects economy of the state. It
also talks about how to increase productivity between workers. Whether you hire more workers,
it doesn't increase productivity, skills increase productivity. By increasing the skills workers
know they can be more productive at their workplace.
Reflection: This source is mostly unbiased towards low skill workers. It gives factual
statements about the unemployment crisis. This document shows how workers fight for

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minimum wage to be raised to help them make a living in any way possible. The source gives
legitimate information about the work status of many Americans. Overall this source helped me
understand what happens to workers when minimum wage is raised. How it affects the economy
and the workers working the jobs.

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