Barbara Ehrenreich became a celebrity based on her book Nickel and Dimed, a personal memoir about how difficult and frustrating it can be to get by in America as a minimum wage worker. She later wrote about the ' futile pursuit' of the American Dream. Her writing led Adam Shepard to simulate Ehrenreich's experience as a low-wage worker with limited prospects and no recourse. His conclusions, however, are dramatically different from those of Ehrenreich. In his book Scratch Beginnings, he says that Ehrenheich's work was flawed from the beginning, and that the American Dream will never die. His experience says that raising the minimum wage won't help low-wage workers, and that opportunity exists for all. Shepard has posted a video on YouTube about his experience:
Shepard's book seems well worth a read. Check out his website for more information. There's also a very good look at his experience in a New Hampshire paper here.