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

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Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
by Barbara Ehrenreich
from Holt Paperbacks

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• Snarky and just plain mean
  Wow, was this book a disappointment! The premise was good and it might have been an interesting read if the author had any clue about what she was writing about, but her condescending attitude about the people she was interacting with made her seem like a total jerk, lacking empathy and understanding. Her snide comments about people's clothing and what they were eating revealed her personal discomfort outside of the ivory tower. Absolutely horrible!

• good book
  I loved Nickel and Dimed and was happy to find this book. As with her other book, Ehrenreich comes across as a very sincere and compassionate person. She is funny, too, and makes the book enjoyable.
  Not sure if I completely buy into her viewpoint and am left wondering how her job search was so futile.
  All in all, a good book about real life in the U.S.A.

• Not a worthy follow-up
  OK, so it may be that the blue and pink collar work force is easier to love than middle management. It may be that the real heroism in this country is found closer to the poverty line then to middle management. Certainly, it is clear that Barbara Ehrenreich believes this to be true. A comparison of Bait and Switch with her earlier Nickel and Dimed demonstrated that while Ehrenreich finds much to lament in the plight of the working class, she generally finds the corporate world laughable and the white collar... more info

• If you want to know the truth, read this book . . .
  Barbara Ehrenreich is right: there really is a crisis going on, a "hidden" crisis if you will, although I'm beginning to think this is more of a case of sheer denial.
  I can't imagine why any person, knowing the odds, would choose to work in the white-collar "business," i.e. administrative world. There is no security in jobs nowadays, but even less in such work environs. I would certainly never pursue a Masters in Business as I had once envisioned, especially now that I have seen several people I know... more info

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