Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places Hardcover – September 1, 2011

Reading Casino Women, by Jill Jones and Susan Chandler, has been a real shocker for me. I do not frequent gambling casinos, so I was not aware that greed and exploitation of casino workers characterize the casino work environment to the extent that it does. Obviously based on a longitudinal study of remarkable depth, the authors chose to present their data through the voices of the women they interviewed, making it highly interesting reading. Beginning with the least paid, those who make the beds and clean the toilets, continuing with the cocktail waitresses who must endure sexual harrassment in order to keep gamblers playing their game, and ending with the highly paid dealers and managers, the authors are very clear in their position that the women who have formed or joined unions at the risk of losing their jobs, are far better off than those who have not. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a graphic example of corporate greed running rampant in the United States.

Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places, by Professors Chandler and Jones, University of Nevada, Reno, is a major contribution to American history, the story of women, Nevada history, and, the history of the West. This book brings dignity to ALL women through the lives of these courageous women employed in the casino industry in Nevada. The narrative is masterful, putting the flesh and blood onto the bones of history. As a women, this story is immediately poignant to me; as a social activist, I am gratified, and, re-energized in my lifelong commitment to equality, dignity, the end to deprivation, and, to bringing the outsider into the mainstream of American history. After ordering the hardcopy of this book from Amazon, I received it in a very timely fashion.

This book has stuck with me. You will learn that extremely hard work does not pay off this system, yet the female human spirit is phenomenally resilient. I hope things improve.

Such an important book on how women in service work are crucial to our economy.

I expected to wait until September to receive a copy of Casino Women but there it was in the mail next day. It is really a wonderful read; a very strong book. I learned about women workers' candid view of their incredibly difficult jobs and about womens' place in the workforce more generally. The writing is vivid, excellent. At last, the casino industry stripped naked.