This book was okay.................just not great. She wrote about her life experiences trying to better herself, but the story was not anything that millions of other parents have done.

I actually ended up listening to the audio version of this book from Audible and found it enlightening and insightful. I don't agree with the comparison to Evicted and Nickel and Dimed, but I do recommend this to people looking for a glimpse into the life of living a life on the edge financially.

Land wrote this book in the vein of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. The difference being that this book chronicles several years in Land's real life: as a single mom with a difficult ex, a small child, and very little family support. She survived by cobbling together housecleaning and landscaping jobs, utilizing what public assistance she could get, and occasional favors of acquaintances and her clients and bosses. To keep her daughter healthy she had coffee for dinner, tried moving in with a boyfriend, and finally found a studio with poor climate control that made them both sick.

This book illustrates how frustrating and difficult it is to be poor--the waiting in lines to prove you are poor, the fear of unexpected expenses, the fear of going to the doctor and car problems. Time taken off work, mediocre housing and mediocre childcare. The hard physical labor required to earn money, and the long drives that eat up gas and money.

Land also shows how easy it is for someone can fall into the trap of having no hope. If you earn a little more money, you lose your childcare credit--but can't pay for childcare without it. The constant battle to access services, to save up any money before it is required for car repairs or medical bills. The fear that the world is keeping you from escaping. As her daughter began approaching kindergarten age, Land began having hope--to go to school in Missoula as she had planned before she became pregnant. She was able to afford a good apartment by bartering her services, and she began feeling hopeful. A specialized domestic violence social worker helped with applications for scholarships. She could get out.

Land is clear that having had a fairly middle class childhood herself, she knew what was possible--the resignation she sees on others' faces (adults and kids) at the various social service offices she goes to make it clear to her that many don't know what might be possible. They have always lived this way, and have no hope and no reason to hope.

I found this book interesting, but found the descriptions of the houses she cleaned to be a little too voyeuristic for my taste. Assuming these are the real houses of real clients (because this IS a memoir), I wondered more if they read this book and saw themselves. Especially the hoarder house (or was it a depression house?), where the mom refers to the home as "her secret". Not any more. And so many of the chapters are about these houses. I preferred the chapters discussing how hard to was to survive with a cranky toddler, long work hours, limited heating, and things to do that cost no money.

—————

Thanks to Hachette and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the reasons I read books is to better understand people that live differently than me. This book did just that.

This book really highlights the cycle of poverty. Stephanie is doing everything she can to keep her daughter happy and provide a better future for her. If she works too little she can’t afford to pay their bills and feed them and if she works too much she loses benefits and discounts that she needs to keep paying the bills.

Everyone is fighting their own battles and working to do the best for their families. This is a great reminder that we don’t know what another person is going through and to think about how we treat those in the service industry. As a Maid she has many clients that she never meets or that don’t know her name. The few that really stand out got to know her as a person. As @whatjessicareads said “Want to realize your privilege all over again? Read this book.”

This book grew on me. In the beginning, I was sure it would be boring - a catalog of rich people’s houses and the things they hide in them. In fact, this book received some press coverage that focused very heavily on the “maid” aspect of the story. And while Stephanie does make her living during the book as a maid, the story is so much more than that. It’s really about a single mother trying to make ends meet in a system that is well-intentioned but can also trap people.

My favorite parts of the books were the human parts. The people that helped her along the way and the ways in which she succeeded after struggling to help herself. I was not as much a fan of how the chapters were divided, and some of the story did feel very repetitive. I’m not sure how many times I read the phrase “black mold”, but I certainly got the picture.

Overall a good read, especially for the non-fiction/memoir genre, which is not always my go-to.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I don’t usually read non- fiction, so I was excited for a change of pace, but I found it very hard to get invested in this book. I got bored, and did not finish the book. I wish I liked it more.

If you've ever stayed at a hotel, visited a restaurant, or shopped at a store, you know it did not clean itself. Unfortunately, the people who do the cleaning are often faceless and unappreciated. This book is a fascinating and often heartbreaking story of a single mother doing whatever she can to support her child. The fact that this still happens in America is appalling and I hope this book provides traction for some change.

Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid describes supporting her daughter and herself, as they slip through the (massive) cracks of our social services.

Some of her experiences were familiar to me, like the kind of part-time job that gives you 20 paid hours, on a rotating, last-minute schedule that requires 40 or more hours of availability. Or 2 hours of work, 40 minutes away. Or 2 hours of work, and then an hour of unpaid waiting for the next client, and then another paid hour. (Oh, wait, that last one might be about my own tutoring work, not about this book at all.) Anyway, a lot of this is unpleasantly familiar to our generation.

When low-wage workers complain about these conditions, republicans are quick to suggest getting a better job, as if there are loads of well-paid jobs just sitting empty because it hasn’t occurred to dumb poor people to look for them. Why don’t they just work harder and move up? BOOTSTRAPS!!! Nevermind that the people preaching the doctrine of hard work are the same ones who think hiring at 35 hours/week to avoid paying for health insurance is just a good business sense from the valued and valuable Job Creators.

But some of this was totally unfamiliar. Land had a daughter with an unreliable boyfriend, and then then left him when unreliable became abusive. (Quick reminder that the birth control pill is 99% effective with perfect use, and that 99% is not 100%. A young woman could be doing everything “right” and still get pregnant.) (Also, condoms break.) So for most of the book, she’s looking for a safe home and regular hours to arrange childcare.  In a reasonable society, these shouldn't be difficult tasks, but of course without money, a partner, or other resources, it's almost impossible.   Getting reliable childcare and trying to get her daughter’s father to pay his share become regular themes in this book.

As a maid, she’s working a dirty, physically demanding job, while driving long distances between houses.  I'd recommend this for readers of Hand to Mouthand Nickled and Dimed, but in addition to the poverty math and commentary on the complete freaking nightmare of hanging on in capitalist dystopia, Land notices her clients’ houses. She cleans for all different types of (wealthy) people, whether illness or business or other reasons have led them to hire someone to pick up after them. She notes the state of a marriage or a family from the state of a house, in vignettes that are alternately depressing and encouraging. It made me look around my apartment, wondering what an imaginary, observant cleaner would see and guess about my husband and me.

This one was so hard for me because I went in with high hopes due to all the praise and because I figured I'd find it relatable.

I'm not doing so hot myself. I have a disability which makes it currently impossible to hold a job, and have to try to go through getting benefits a second time. I can't pay my bills. I need to accept hand outs from family or I'd be homeless. I don't have a child but like, girl, I get the being poor and in a shitty situation.

That being said, woo man did Stephanie end up kind of really annoying me. From the beginning of her having a child I was a little like, okay, well, why? Why did you choose to have a child with your abusive partner if you are in that situation and can't afford a child ? I overlooked this because people have religious reasons and yadayada but it initially bothered me a little. That could've been a problem avoided all together. I'm sorry.

But now that she has a kid and knows how hard it is, we find out later she was saving baby clothes incase she had another ????? Girl what ? WHY. WHYYY did you want another kid with another one of your sketchy boyfriends when you can't afford the one you currently have??? What. Again, this bothered me.

Her child is crazy sick and they live in a mold infested building but she gets 4,000 back on her taxes ! I'm happy! That's so great! She's doin it! But wait, the next paragraph, she's thinking about a road trip. Girl, what? No. What? You can't afford a road trip. What are you doing. Save your money or use it towards something better.

What does she do? SHE BUYS HERSELF A DIAMOND WEDDING RING. GIRL. what. Stop. Is this real. I can't freakin' fathom this. I could never allow myself to do that - I don't even eat fast food because I can't afford it and that shit is like a dollar (she recieves 100 dollars earlier and buys her kid a happy meal which is weird because she was bitching that EBT wouldnt allow her to buy organic milk before. All head scratchers). How could you possibly splurge like this let alone recieve all that money and just first thought think about what kind of fun you could use it on. I'm not trying to be evil, just rational. It's a little understandable how she got herself in this situation.

There's so many more things that irritated me - from her being kind of snotty to everyone, to her saying she worked twenty five hours a week and couldn't afford to pay her bills (girl, no one can pay their bills on 25 hours a week), to her getting fame and praise now while it seems so many others are struggling and working so much harder. Again, I'm sorry. I feel like an asshole but she set herself up for a failure a lot.

Also she's almost thirty and says having a child put her off from going to school but uhhhh what were you doing before you had her ??? Stop making excuses. This whole mess was kind of her fault. And apparently after this book she continued to make big ass mistakes such as having another kid out of a one night stand and marrying another abusive guy.

Numerous people said "You need to do better for your child" and that is what this book should have been called.

end rant I'm sorry don't hate me.

Thank you Hachette Books for allowing me to review Maid by Stephanie Land.

A tough topic to read about but also a very important one. Ms. Land shares her journey through leaving an abusive partner with her young baby and struggling to fight through the red tape and stigma to find work and programs to help keep her and her baby girl fed and housed. Working as a maid to keep food on the table and living paycheque to paycheque she documents what it’s like to shop with food stamps and her palpable relief when anyone shows her any little kindness.
A real look into the lives of the working poor and their struggle to just stay afloat let alone rising above and having time to rest or save for a rainy day.

I have mixed feeling about this book. I love that it was well written and it made me challenge the privilege that I grew up into. It is a really great eye-opening story that showcases the level of poverty that exists in America. It helps you as the reader understand what some people face. It does not claim to be the story of everyone in poverty which I appreciate. I wish it shared more about her background and didn't drag on in other parts. Overall great and touching read.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mothers Will to Survive was incredibly frustrating to read. Stephanie Land was dealt challenging cards in life. She became pregnant in an abusive relationship, left that relationship without a steady income, struggled to find affordable housing, entered into more unstable and unreliable relationships, continued to make poor choices with any extra source of income, and so on and so forth.

I was really looking forward to reading this memoir because I was expecting to learn more about the profession of being a maid -- crazy right? I was disappointed in the lack of story revolving around being a maid.

One piece of the story that has stuck with me is that Stephanie didn't appear to fit the "stereotype" of the individuals we associate with needing to go to the government for help. Often times we jump to conclusions about individuals who use government services, although the services are there for a reason and there is absolutely nothing bad about utilizing the services that we have provided to us. It was a big check to my own privilege - things can happen to anyone; it doesn't matter who you are, what you look like or where you're from.

However I was left with quite a few questions... Why does Stephanie have zero savings? Why does she buy herself a $200 diamond ring when she receives a $4000 tax refund instead of moving herself and her daughter, Mia, out of an apartment with black mold??

I tried not to judge while reading the memoir because each person gets to make their own decisions and its hard to say what choices you'll make when faced with a challenging question. But there is also a point where you have to stop and reflect on your choices in the moment and figure out what the heck you're doing.

I originally rated this book as an average novel, but now I feel like it was 2/5 stars. While I understand that this is representative of Stephanie Land's life, she was repetitive in her novel and quite irresponsible with her child. I hope that as her success takes off, both as a student and a writer, that Stephanie has learned how to manage her time, money and lifestyle.

Enlightening reading. Writing style was straightforward and unapologetic. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I've read a few of these type of books, I was or am poor and this is my story. So I didn't expect much from this one, figured another in that vein. Yes, that's what this book is --one woman's story about struggling, being poor, and trying to find a way to make it work for her and her daughter.

There was only a brief amount of information before she got pregnant, then the decision to move away from her boyfriend's trailer after having their baby. He was becoming increasingly volatile and emotionally abusive. Imminently after her boyfriend's she went to live with her Dad and Step-Mom, but they were struggling too, Stephanie had to do it on her own.

Already on government assistance she took what work she could, yard work and cleaning houses. Most of the book is about cleaning houses. There's also the little details of how she got through day by day, especially when something major happened, like her car being totaled by a teenage driver.

This is a book about being poor and struggling to get beyond it, trying to not just survive, but find a way out. There were a few poignant lines about how being poor too often looks like it is a crime "the crime being a lack of means to survive". There is assumption if you are poor you do drugs, or used to and don't know how to stay off them, and you must keep bad company.

One thing Land was also struggling with was lack of affection and connection to someone besides her young daughter. Her friends were in a different phase and didn't understand her poverty, they disappeared out of her life. She ached for companionship.

This was a well written book. I did wish for a little more about her background, something a little more broad. Also the ending seemed rushed, and not fully explained. It is a book about just a few years of her life and well, it felt like it needed just a little more.

I was impressed with Stephanie Land's ability and openness to show what life is like for the working poor. While this book may not completely acknowledge the difficulties that POC might experience given similar circumstances, I'm not certain it would be fair to expect her to do this. She does the job of telling her story and her personal experience. She does this well, anything outside of this would be not telling her own story.
Certainly an eye-opening account of poverty in America.

#Maid #NetGalley

I don’t normally have time to finish a book in only a few days, but I couldn’t put this one down!
Maid is a story about a woman who, after having a baby, found herself homeless and needing to find a way to support herself and her daughter. But it’s also about so much more than that.
I’ll be honest, I was pretty skeptical about if I would like this book. But the more I read, the more I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened to Stephanie and her daughter. I was invested in her story. I enjoyed reading about her struggles and small triumphs and it really made me think. I also learned some things I didn’t know about government assistance. I’m so glad I got the chance to read this book. Thank you #netgalley for my copy.

If you are looking for an incredible memoir to add to your stack, I can’t recommend Maid enough. After reading through the reviews of this one on Amazon, I am surprised to see that so many people gave it a low rating and it seems to sway into either the 1-star realm or the 5-star realm.

I think anytime there is a book though that challenges us to examine what it would be like to be among the working poor, we either lean into the world of sympathy or the world of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and quit whining.”

*Even typing that made me cringe.*

Land’s story isn’t pretty. She is a smart girl who falls in love with the wrong guy and ends up pregnant. Rather than going to college and pursuing her dream as a writer, Stephanie finds herself in an impossible situation where she can never get ahead financially and now must find a way to feed herself and her child while keep a roof over their heads.

Land takes a job working for a cleaning service as a maid and really spells out what it is like to hold this position and not feel seen by others.

Bigger problems arise as she needs a vehicle to get back and forth, childcare that won’t put her in the negative, and to also do what she can to keep her abusive partner happy.

Have you ever had to drink coffee all day to stave off your own hunger so you can feed your child? Have you ever lived in a home that was infested with mold that continuously made it difficult for your child to breathe? Have you ever had to stay with someone who hurt you just a little longer so you wouldn’t have to worry about having a home?

Most of us have not.

Land tells her story through her own journal entries of this time and it is heart wrenching. The story does hit a lag towards the last portion, but simply because being part of the working poor is a never ending saga of just trying to get ahead. It is a cycle that few can break out of and we see how broken our system is from cashing in government-funded food credit to the lack of support in the healthcare system.

I am so happy that her story was published and it made me think about my own feelings about these issues and how I could do better in my own interactions and kindness towards others in our community. It would make for a fantastic book club discussion if you are on the hunt for a pick!

I really enjoyed this book. It opened my eyes to the working poor and the trials and tribulations that they face as they try to make life better for themselves and their families. I would definitely read more by this author!

This book took forever to finish because 1) the tone often came across as bitter, whiny, and defeatist, and 2) Land’s continual practice of making very bad decisions, typically in the name of creating a family unit, even in the face of common sense and facts, was more than I could stomach.

How do you cheer for a woman who’s so obsessed with finding a husband she feels okay accepting less for herself?

Both Jamie (her daughter’s father) and Travis (her longtime “boyfriend”) treat her like garbage, and yet, she’s willing to overlook their abusive behavior if it means she’ll have a chance to “look” respectable in the eyes of society.

She constantly laments over how sad it made her to see other family units; how their very presence made her feel like a failure—or grossly inferior. How she longed for anything approaching a relationship because of how it would, potentially, legitimize her motherhood and make her more acceptable to those around her.

I cringed when she spoke about how she was so lonely during one particular birthday she asked her abusive ex to spend the night—just so she’d have a warm body to snuggle up with and hold on to.

Ugh. Seriously??

Then there’s the unnecessarily detailed explanations of the houses she cleaned.

Perhaps others long to know the details of her encounters with vomit-stained toilets, blood-stained unmentionables, and crap-stained carpets, but it was a no for me.

There’s a small amount of attention given to the poverty aspect, but it comes mostly in the form of how it made her feel to know she was dependent on the government to live and provide; it was also delivered in the same whiny, woe is me, tone that made me want to skim to the end/stop reading altogether.

I swear I spent the majority of this book wanting her to just do something other than sit at the table with her pity hat on. Especially since so much of what plagued her progress was self-inflicted.

For a lot of reasons, some of which are personal (I grew up around single moms and am the product of a single parent home), this book infuriated, more than inspired, me.

Great non fiction by @stepville with so many similarities as a single mother that I often felt that I could’ve written it myself. Biggest difference is that I had a supportive family. This book is a story of survival, motherhood, the welfare system and the American working poor. In a country of plenty like the US, the working poor are marginalized for not being ambitious enough or being lazy. It is shocking to read how strangers treated Stephanie for using public assistance to help her provide for her young daughter. Equally shocking at the attitudes of others when Stephanie chose to dedicate resources to her own education in hopes that she could eventually become more financially independent. Overall, this book is a snapshot into the life of many in our country that want to work, want to get ahead and want better but have had bad luck and no support. Maid is ultimately a story of the American dream. Thanks to @hachettebooks @stepville and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.