Stacey A. (starfkr) reviewed on 12/22/2008 + 53 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

A very timely read given the current state of our economy. Orwell discusses his own life experiences of living in poverty in both London and Paris in the early 1930's. This was an interesting book, although distrubing at times. Orwell finds himself working 17 hour days just to make enough money to survive in Paris and ends up living in homeless shelters in London after a job falls through. Lots of depictions of squalid living conditions and starvation amongst the people he meets. This book helps you realize the importance of having a social safety net in place for the poor and it also gives you some idea of how laws and protections for workers have changed over the years. This book may have been the inspiration for "Nickel and Dimed", a more recent book with a similar premise but nowhere near the same realism as Orwell presents. An excellent read that keeps a good pace and draws you in.

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