NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND INSPIRATION FOR THE NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES, HAILED BY ROLLING STONE AS “A GREAT ONE.” “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 ListAt 28, Stephanie Land’s dreams of attending a … List
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.
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This was a courageous lady down on her luck who was able to turn things around. You couldn’t help but wanting to root for her. She took on one of the hardest jobs (housecleaning) in order to support herself and her daughter. Her engaging writing style and “average Jane” protagonist was full of grit and love for her daughter.
Maid was an interesting view into life in poverty in the US. It definitely adjusted my perspective on what people living near the poverty line must go through daily and truly shows how difficult the system makes it for them to become self-sufficient. Definitely worth the read!
Started reading but wasn’t engaged enough to keep on. I returned the book to the lender and don’t regret it.
Excellent read! Looking forward to more books by Ms. Land. Well written, at times gut wrenching story.
It’s a great read to learn what really happens when you have certain circumstances and you are trying your best.
A real eye opener