Barbara Ehrenreich
(1941-)

American Writer & Social Change Activist
1998 Humanist of the Year
2004 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship
2007 Four Freedoms Award

birthdate: August 26
birthplace:
Butte, Montana

Barbara Ehrenreich received a Ph.D in cellular immunology, but decided to pursue a career as a freelance writer and social activist instead of going into science. Several things made her rethink the direction of her life, including her concern about the ongoing Vietnam War. The degrading experience she had when giving birth to her baby in a public clinic in New York City in 1970, left Barbara Ehrenreich angry at the way she was treated and helped inspire a passion to start writing about feminist and women's health issues. She co-authored several books and began speaking on these issues at many conferences and other forums. Since then, Barbara Ehrenreich has been an award-winning columnist and essayist and has written over 20 books about social issues, including living in poverty, unemployment, women and children in the sex trade, and corporate greed. She is best known for her 2001 book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, detailing a three-month experiment trying to survive on minimum-wage jobs. She has founded and worked with many social change organizations, including the National Women's Health Network, the anti-poverty group Women's Committee of 100 and the Campaign for America's Future.

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