She's lived it, and she gets it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I will recommend this book to all of my friends, as it's real, honest writing about real lives.

What did you like best about this story?

She pulls no punches about what it's like to live as a poor white woman (bonus points for writing about poverty while staying in her lane, despite much of it being able to be generalized to all poor people) who is trying to do everything right and is still getting pushed down. Everything she wrote about, I have either experienced or worked with people who are living it daily. From walking to jobs because of lack of transportation only to get fired for not being "presentable," to being mistreated by her dentist for problems that were not her fault but assumed to be hers anyway, to having to take care of every small illness at home until it seemed too big to deal with because preventative medicine is impossible -- this is the reality of trying to have dignity in a system that sees all poor people as being that way due to poor morality and not systemic violence.

Which character – as performed by Linda Tirado – was your favorite?

Linda Tirado reading the book was a wonderful addition. It was great to be able to put a voice to the book and hear in her own voice everything she was talking about through her own words.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed in several places. In others I got so angry I carried that frustration with me throughout the day, because it was all true.

7 people found this helpful

Succinct and True

What did you like about this audiobook?

The author's performance adds so much to this book. If you're open to learning what it's actually like to be poor in America and don't mind feeling a bit guilty while you learn what your privilege means to poor people, this book is for you. Of course the author doesn't speak for every single poor person in this country. But she does paint a very clear picture of what millions of people like her go through just to get by. And it's not pretty. Yes, she can come off as a bit whiny at times. But you know what? She has every right to whine. It's hard as hell to be poor. Props to her for telling the truth.

4 people found this helpful

Accurate!

While i have some reservations about the language, the reality of experience is spot on. Unless you have lived paycheck to paycheck you simply do not understand what most people go through every day. This book helps those that don't get it, get it, maybe.
I found myself nodding several times because I've been there. I've had to decide what bill do i pay and risk the other going to collections. That is one example that some people refuse to understand. Another example, just because i didn't clean today doesn't mean I'm dirty... It means I'm tired from working, so chill out.
Thanks!

4 people found this helpful

Buy the written copy, NOT the audio by the author

Look, I'm sympathetic to the author's cause, but if she is going to read it as if she's yelling at me the entire time, and with that much attitude and swearing just to be edgy... poor choice.

13 people found this helpful

How the other half lives excellently described

I liked everything about this book. Well done all around. The voicing was superb. It stayed engaging.

My only nit-pick is the reading was done with a sound activated microphone apparently. Whenever a sentence was started that didn't have a previous sentence to keep the microphone on, the microphone wouldn't pick up the first part of the word. For example, "Things" would sound like "hings" as the 'th' sound was halved. It was annoying.

2 people found this helpful

Interesting

I listened to this because I read an essay about living poor by Linda Tirado that literally made me cry. I could relate to parts of it, was familiar with other parts through second hand knowledge and yet another part was new to me. The big picture is ugly, scary and sad. This book is intended, I believe, to be an expansion of that essay.

A forewarning: Linda is a ranter. She’s fond of hyperbole, is extremely opinionated, and tends to be rather sloppy with her facts at times. She also likes to use herself and her experiences as the primary example, which may annoy some people. She is angry and mouthy.

If you can get that out of the way (very hard for the majority of conservatives to do) there is a whole hell of a lot of truth in what she is saying. A LOT. If you really want to know how the poor live, why it’s so hard to climb out of poverty, why the poor do the things they do, and why the judgmental attitudes of many of the not-poor are unhelpful and cause rifts, you will listen to this book. Listen carefully. Put your attitude aside. I’m not going to say this book is totally accurate in all respects because there are one or two or three factual misleads. I’m not going to say that her entire mindset is totally on point, because I don’t believe it is. But does she have a number of crucial observations to make that you may not find anywhere else? YES. Absolutely, yes. An open minded person will discover much thought provoking material here.

Book is a must-have if you’re interested in poverty in America and the great income divide that is breaking our nation in pieces.

1 person found this helpful

Doesn’t leave you better

Can’t really tell how how I feel about this book. My eyes were opened to one persons experience through life. I think my biggest issue is that the book came across as a vent session. Do your self a favor and just get Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. That book was powerful and inspirational and left you wanting to be a better person.

1 person found this helpful

BEING POOR

“Hand to Mouth” is Linda Tirado’s perception and experience of being poor in America. Conservative media rants, and liberal paeans to Linda Tirado’s memoir infer guilt more than understanding. Some conservative’ pundits believe any American who works hard can get ahead. Many liberal’ pundits believe most Americans born poor will remain poor. Liberal’ pundits praise Tirado’s story because it reinforces their belief in “born poor, remain poor” while conservative’ pundits attack Tirado’s credibility because her story denies equal opportunity. If Tirado’s facts are only partly untrue, it assuages conservative guilt about belief in equal opportunity. Even if Tirado’s facts are only partly true, promotion of her story assuages liberal’s guilt for being personally successful.

What is missing from a fair understanding of Tirado’s memoir is its fundamental truth; i.e. being a minimum wage employee in America is grindingly difficult.

Tirado breaks the cycle with some skill as a writer but a lot of luck. Her story is picked up by the media. Her story is told every day by other minimum wage workers seen on main street; e.g. the people serving hamburgers, cleaning houses, waiting tables. Tirado’s story just became the chosen one. Tirado will have a whole new set of problems to face in her life but they will come from her own personality; not the exigencies of American society that chooses to ignore the plight of minimum wage workers.

3 people found this helpful

Simply my reality.

This book was an optional read for extra credit in a sociology class I'm currently enrolled in at CSUSB. I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter...it made me laugh with jokes that will only be understood by those who have "been there"... it made me shake my head with disgust at the reality and truths that are revealed about minimum wage student living...it made me sad to recognize my future, but that gave me motivation enough to desperately try at finding a better job, and landing one. To the author, thank you for helping me recognize where I was in life and where I would be if I didn't make a change...it forced me to step up into something better...I'll admit, I got lucky... but best of luck to everyone else who " just gets this" book...you know you need it, lol.

1 person found this helpful

Great content but so condescending

I'm glad a book that tells this perspective has been written. I could relate to many things in this book and learned some new things too. That said, I do not recommend the audio version. The tone is so condescending and at times downright rude. It's hard to listen to someone who wants you to understand their perspective when their understanding of the perspective of others is so limited. Perhaps try the hard copy instead of the audio book; it might read differently.

1 person found this helpful