I really enjoyed the first chapter of ‘Nickle and Dimed’, Ehrenreich tells the story well by immersing herself in the experience and talking about the characters she meets along the way. By using real life examples it enables her to get across the ‘news worthy’ elements of the story and the facts but gives it a really nice personal perspective so that the reader is also invested in the story.
Ehnrenreich’s approach is very immersive as she actually lives the experience which gives her a bit more ‘cred’ as someone who has experienced the lifestyle, without this the article may not be as impactful.
I found that Paige William’s article used so many numbers and facts that they almost began to lose meaning, it wasn’t until the second part of the story that I was drawn in. In Ehrenreich’s article, each fact or footnote is woven into the story in relation to one of her co-workers or friends. This style works really well as a reader as you don’t feel bogged down by facts and numbers and the direct comparison of the fact to the real life character makes it seems much more real.
The descriptive writing style of the characters and her sense of humour draws you into the story and makes you want to read more. Most of all I think the story leaves you wanting more, how long did she last? What happens next?
