The successful author, Barbara Ehrenreich, goes out to eat with her famous editor to pitch story ideas. When she says someone should find out how people make ends meet on minimum wage, he hires her to do an investigative piece on the topic. After some initial concern, she decides that she will take the challenge, but she'll go relatively easy on herself. Unlike the real poor, she promises herself she will always have a car and will never go homeless. The author plans to travel to different areas and experience diverse low wage jobs.

Ehrenreich decides to begin her work life in nearby Key West, Florida. It looks like it will be a breeze to find work here because so many jobs are listed in the newspaper. The writer also does some quick calculation and figures she can afford to live in an apartment quite a...