Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive

Stephanie Land

Jan 2019 · Sold by Legacy Lit

About this ebook

"A single mother's personal, unflinching look at America's class divide (Barack Obama)," this New York Times bestselling memoir is the inspiration for the Netflix limited series, hailed by Rolling Stone as "a great one."    At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet.

Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper middle class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets. Driven to carve out a better life for her family, she cleaned by day and took online classes by night, writing relentlessly as she worked toward earning a college degree. She wrote of the true stories that weren't being told: of living on food stamps and WIC coupons, of government programs that barely provided housing, of aloof government employees who shamed her for receiving what little assistance she did. Above all else, she wrote about pursuing the myth of the American Dream from the poverty line, all the while slashing through deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor.

Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not hers alone. It is an inspiring testament to the courage, determination, and ultimate strength of the human spirit.

"A single mother's personal, unflinching look at America's class divide, a description of the tightrope many families walk just to get by, and a reminder of the dignity of all work." -PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, Obama's Summer Reading List

Ratings and reviews

The relationship between mother and child is what grabbed me. The desperation to provide. Giving up your plan, your dreams, your wants to provide. It was a beautiful story . For those of us that have at one time cleaned houses, we can relate. For us single moms, we can relate. I related to much of this story. It's nice to read something i related to. I could nod my head, sympathize, empathize. This book is not for everyone. But I have shared it with women that can relate.

This was such a chore to get through. Repeating chapters. No real substance to keep my interested. A lot of self pity. Way too much detail on house cleaning. There were brief moments of beautiful prose, commentary on our systems, and quick moments of happiness, but UGH. Nothing else.

I don't even know where to start. I sat down and read this book in a day, shirking all responsibilities because I was so entranced by stephanie and mias story. This speaks to our broken system, and American ideals that refuse to treat people with dignity when they are trying to make ends meet. All of the hopelessness and panic and obstacles are so beautifully shared, thank you for sharing this story! As someone who grew up in Missoula I found great comfort and nostalgia in your final section about moving here. I have a complicated relationship with this town, but your description of it brought back all of the positive feelings I have from this community. I'm happy you found your people!

About the author

STEPHANIE LAND's work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Guardian, and many others. Her writing focuses on social and economic justice.

BARBARA EHRENREICH is the author of fourteen books, including the bestselling Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch. She lives in Virginia.