Continued............

In chapter two, Ehrenreich chose Maine for its whiteness. She had once been to the Portland area for a speaking engagement and had noticed the almost total lack of people of color- in any walk of life. In addition to the population primarily white, everyone spoke English, and the Portland area employment base seemed anxious for new bodies. Traveling by bus from FL, Ehrenreich arrives in Portland August 24, nearly 2000 miles away fromeverything she is familiar with. He personal inventory includes a suitcase of clothes, a tote stuffed with toiletries, books, and hiking boots, and her laptop. She also has a 1,000 in cash. He first surprise is that there are no low-rent apartments in Portland. Affordable housing is 30 minutes away. The following day she finds a tiny cottage in Old Orchard Beach for 120 a week. It is time for her to find a job. She applies at various places for a job, including taking personality tests at Wal'mart and The Maids, a housecleaning service. She starts to working at both jobs. On Monday morning, Ehrenreich begins work at the Maids by watching a series of videotapes describing how to clean according to company policy. On Friday, one of her team assignments includes the home of Mrs. W, who ends up watching Ehrenreich as she cleans the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. Ehrenreich develops a rash but is not sure where it comes from; further, the aches and pains from her job take their toll. She makes observations on the physically damaging nature of her maid work, as well as the ostentatious nature of the houses she must clean. On her last day at The Maids, she reveals to co-workers her real reason for working there. They didn't have much to say.