I enjoyed this book about a low-income mother who is forced to take a job as a maid in order to provide for her daughter. I liked the juxtaposition of Stephanie cleaning these sad, rich people's homes but going home to her one-bedroom studio and learning to appreciate what she had. I thought the writing was simple and that the author probably missed connecting a few of the themes, but overall found her to be very relatable and someone i rooted for to succeed in her circumstances. read it in a couple hours, so fast read for anyone who enjoys memoirs in the vein of EDUCATED. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for the early copy!

I wanted to love this book. It had so much promise. I think the expectations I went in with were too high and I ultimately disappointed my reading experience before I dug my heels into it. I don't feel that Stephanie Lands experience was unique or any more difficult than anyone else's in similar situations. Poverty is a struggle and real. The book felt rushed and the story felt as though it was being told by someone else and not the individual who experienced the hardships.

Land shows through her writings and experiences how society judges those who are poverty stricken, how many in society take advantage of the poor (example: The wages she is paid as maid through the company she works for) and how something such as in illness or car accident can make a situation dire for someone who is poor rather than inconvenient for those who experience such circumstances. Land's book chronicle's how poverty cycles through generations and how difficult it is to break.

Stephanie Land is a young single mother who finds herself in a failing domestic relationships that results in abuse and the only way to save herself and her daughter is to be homeless and rely on the government for help. She no real skills or experience resulting in low wage jobs that make it impossible to beat the odds and get ahead in life (she luckily finds a way out of this). Her experiences working as a maid caused me to cringe on several occasions by the actions of those she worked for and her own.

I encourage those of you who read this to take the time to place yourself or someone you love in Stephanie's situation before you make judgments and think twice before you condemn someone for being less fortunate than you.

I don't want to spoil the ending for you but I will say Stephanie Land has beat the odds!

Many praise for Stephanie Land's "Maid"! Last year I tried to read another book similar to this but I was unable to get into it. Stephanie writes about the hardships she endures living in poverty as a single mother with her daughter. If you have ever been curious about the economic struggles some people in the United States experience, this book is for you. From the very beginning of the first chapter, the reader's attention is grabbed by the author's description of her home which is a sort of homeless shelter. The author continues to describe how the welfare system in the U.S. works; what is available, and the steps needed to go through to attain financial assistance. Stephanie also slays stereotypes that are sometimes associated with people on welfare in the U.S.
Another issue the author writes about is her personal struggles with her family, which I can personally relate to. During the time I was reading this book, I had an argument with my mother. I went home and happened to end up reading a chapter where the author had an issue with her parents. I immediately felt comforted by the fact that I wasn't the only one who had distant parents.
Bottom line; the author did a wonderful job with this book and I'm anxious to read her next!

Maid is one of those stories that people love to read to make themselves feel learned and liberal. Stephanie Land's story is tragic, and there is no doubt that she had to overcome a lot in the name of survival. I want to love Maid and tout it as an important insight into our welfare system, which it is and yet is not. The thing is that Ms. Land is white, which means her experiences with government assistance and poverty are a whole hell of a lot different than someone else's experience. Not once does Ms. Land recognize this fact as she tells her story. She does not acknowledge the fact that people are more willing to barter with her or trust her in their homes because she is blond and she is white. She does not recognize the privilege that comes with white skin, and there is just one area where I find fault with the book.

At one point in time, Ms. Land mentions visiting her mother in France, and the statement struck me as so incongruous with her story that I stopped reading for the day. You see, Ms. Land mentions several times how her family has a history of struggling with poverty and how her parents couldn't help her when her life fell apart because they had money problems of their own. Ms. Land also intimates that her money problems started early, that she always had one foot on the poverty line and relied on her boyfriend to keep her above the line. Yet, throughout all this, she somehow finds a way to visit her mother in France, where she moved after Stephanie was out of the house and on her own. I grew up firmly entrenched in the middle class to two teachers. We were not poor; we went on vacations every year and could afford to eat out once in a while. But not once while I was growing up could my parents afford to fly to Europe. I know this one statement should not bother me in light of what Ms. Land shows regarding the assistance programs, but I still wonder how Ms. Land could afford that trip to France when she was working in coffee shops and bars and relying on her boyfriend to help with bills and rent. A little bit of sympathy at her situation dissolved upon reading that line, never to return.

My fear is that people are going to treat Maid as they did Hillybilly Elegy, which means they are going to read it and consider themselves experts in all things welfare-related. It is an important story, but it is not the only story. In fact, I would argue it is not the typical story in any fashion. Ms. Land, growing up to middle-class parents, has already had access to privileges most people in the welfare system will never have. That and the color of her skin means her experiences are not the same as a person of color or someone for whom English is a second language. That she does not specifically identify these privileges bothers me, and the fact that Maid is gaining the buzz it already has bothers me even more. I can't say that you shouldn't read it, but I recommend you go in knowing its faults and that Ms. Land's story, while tragic, is still not the typical story of someone on welfare.

Maid was a great story, and showed a life that I don't often hear about. Of course, I know about poverty in America and the different government programs that we have, but I have never read a book (or memoir) told from the point of view of someone that has used them. Though the book only approached these options on a surface level, reading Stephanie's story was really enlightening. She had a unique situation of being a single mother who was somewhat born into the poverty that she was in, but still had more family support than others in that situation might have had. It made for a very interesting dynamic. Stephanie had a great voice, and overall it was a really enjoyable and eye opening book. I finished reading this with a lot of respect for the author, and a proudness that she was able to achieve her dream of becoming a writer.

Though this is an important book to be read so that others may understand the struggle of the working class in America (which is often misrepresented or under-represented), I am not sure this is the example to create that picture in a reader's mind. Maid is truly a struggle in the life it is describes and, at times, I found myself sick with the things she had to deal with in terms of working for her clients in various situations. However, the tone of the author is what threw me off. Is she full of pity? Perhaps. Is she whiny in terms of the descriptions of the situation? Certainly. I am able to identify with this struggle. For many, in virtually every corner of our country, this is a daily reality and one that I have been accustomed to in the culture where I live as well. It is just in my opinion that a more wholistic voice to represent this large and ever-growing population might have more of an impact. The real meaning gets a bit lost as described in this manner.

Stephanie Land is a fantastic writer and I am honoured that she shared her story with us. This is one woman's story of poverty and being a single mother. Not everyone's experience is the same and I think she acknowledges that. I felt a great connection to her and can not wait to see where she goes from here.

Full review on mail blog to come.

Four stars. Maid tells the true story of a single mother living in poverty, cleaning houses to make ends meet while dreaming of a better life for her daughter outside of their studio apartment. Stephanie Land weaves together these struggles with tales of the houses she cleans and their owners.

Ms. Land is a talented writer, and her words are very easy to read. I’m not sure I had ever stopped to consider the struggles that come along with adhering to the rigors of government programs while trying to stay afloat. As with most books, I had some small nits - I would have liked more “behind the scenes” stories about life as a housekeeper, and Ms. Land repeatedly mentions “black mold” so much that her point about the health detriments of her apartment was made in excesses. But all-in-all, a good read from a talented voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good memoir.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. All the best to Ms. Land and her family.

This is one book that I’ve grappled with in trying to write a review. There are a few conflicting impressions that I’ve turned over in my mind, causing me to question why I feel as I do about the story. I thought about just giving a glossed-over review, focusing only on what I appreciated (and there was a lot to appreciate) about this account of a young, single mother’s struggle to survive and raise her child. I wanted to be generous, but I finally decided to just write the review to include what bothered me, and if that reflects negatively on me, then so be it.

The title of the book, “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive” is apt, as Stephanie Land describes how truly hard she worked for very low wages to give herself and her young daughter a place to call home, and yes – to simply survive. Her determination and grit (no pun intended) are evident. She did whatever it took to provide a roof, food, and basic needs for her family of two. She fielded issues with multiple government welfare and assistance programs, and dealt with anger and abusiveness from a former partner, the father of her daughter, Mia. She worked long hours for very little pay and labored with physically demanding jobs cleaning the homes of clients and doing occasional landscape work when she could get it. She struggled with day care and doctor situations when her child was sick, and lost wages during those times when she couldn’t make it to work. All in all, her situation was bleak and disheartening and terribly hard in every sense of the word. And she toiled through it to finish college and to write her story, and major kudos to her for doing so.

Overall, the book is well-written, although there were several instances throughout when the flow just didn’t quite work. It was difficult to understand exactly what caused some of her problems to begin with; there was confusing and incomplete background information. We learn that her mother lives in Europe and that the author and her father don’t really connect. There’s a brother out there somewhere, but we know next to nothing about him or why he can’t help her in some way. It’s possible there are reasons that information was left private, but stating that, at least, would have been helpful and less confusing to the reader. Also baffling was the ongoing message that there were never enough hours, that work and school and taking care of Mia were exhausting. And then out of the blue, with no explanation, she mentions that she’s been dating a few people. Where did that come from? I mean, good for her, but when? How? What??

I felt much empathy for Stephanie through the description of her money and job worries. I’ve been there, and my heart ached for the times she felt so helpless and hopeless. The love and care she gave to her daughter also resonated with me; it’s obvious that Mia was always first and foremost in her concerns.

The thing that truly bothered me about her story is kind of double-edged. I think she was being very honest about her actions, and for that, I applaud her. But the descriptions of her “snooping” (her word) through a client’s home made me so sad. Reading pill bottles, receipts for payments, looking through books and sorting through mail on a table, repeatedly trying on a sweater in someone’s closet – all of these were upsetting to me. But the most egregious to me was her opening the jars and looking at the ashes of loved ones, on more than one occasion. I also took exception to her basically gossiping to the reader about her clients, passing judgment on them just as others had passed judgment on her. I know her life was beyond difficult and she had been looked down upon and treated miserably. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that others deserved respect from her, as well, and I’m sad that she did these things and shared them in her story.

Again, I applaud Ms. Land for her hard work, determination and for telling her story. I just can’t give this more than 3 stars based on my concerns for some of the things missing in her story, and for some of the things I wish she hadn't shared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Poverty was like a stagnant pool of mud that pulled at our feet and refused to let go." from Maid by Stephanie Land

I'll be brutally honest, and you can "unfollow" me if you want, I don't care, but ever since Presidents Roosevelt and Johnson created social programs to help the poor there have been politicians determined to slash, limit, and end them. And one of their methods is to vilify the poor as blood-sucking, lazy, ignorant, "self-entitled" criminals who live off the hard earned tax dollars squeezed from hard-working, honest, salt-of-the-earth, red-blooded Americas.

I have known some of "those people," and yes, they sometimes made bad choices, but they also worked to improve their lives. Like my cousin who ran away at sixteen and returned, pregnant, without a high school degree. She was on welfare and food stamps. She also got a GED and learned to drive and found a job...which was eliminated by budget cuts. After floundering for some time, she found work again, and even love. Then died young of a horrible autoimmune disease.

Or the couple who worked abroad to teach English as a second language to pay off their school debts then returned to America and could not find jobs. The wife returned to school for an advanced degree. She graduated after the economy tanked and still could not find work in her area. They relied on WIC when their child was born. They have lived in poverty their entire marriage, the woman working for ETS and online tutoring.

Stephanie Land had dreams, hoping some day to go to college. Her parents had split up, her mom's husband resentful and her dad broke because of the recession. She was self-supporting when she became pregnant. When she decided to keep her baby her boyfriend became abusive. She was driven to take her daughter and leave him.

And so began her descent into the world of homelessness, poverty, the red-tape web of government programs. She worked as a maid, even though she suffered from a pinched nerve and back pain and allergies. The pay was miserable, her travel expenses uncovered. She found housing that was inadequate, unsafe, and unhealthy. Black mold kept her daughter perpetually sick with sinus and ear infections.

I know about that. Our infant son was ill most of the year with allergies, sinus infections, ad ear infections. It made him fussy and overactive and every time he was sick it made his development lag. We were lucky. We could address the environmental causes. We found a specialist who treated him throughout his childhood

Maid is Stephanie Land's story of those years when she struggled to provide for her daughter. She documents how hard it is to obtain assistance and even the knowledge of what aid is available, the everlasting exhaustion of having to work full time, taking her daughter to and from daycare, and raise her child on a razor-thin budget. All while cleaning the large homes of strangers.

And that is the other side of the book, the people who hire help at less than minimum wage, some who show consideration and others who like her invisible. How a maid knows more about her clients than they can imagine.

Land worked hard. Really hard. She had to. Finally, she was able to go to school and write this book. She crawled out of the mire. What is amazing is that anyone can escape poverty. You earn a few dollars more and you lose benefits.

Land is an excellent writer. She created scenes that broke my heart, such as when her mother and her new husband come to help Land move. Her mom suggests they go out to lunch, then expects Land to pay for the meal. Land had $10 left until the end of the month. Even knowing this, they accepted it. Then, her mom's husband complained Land acted 'entitled'. I was so angry! I felt heartbroken that Land and her daughter were shown so little charity.

I think about the Universal Basic Income idea that I have read about. How if Land received $1,000 a month she would have been able to provide her daughter with quality daycare or healthy housing. She would have been able to spend more time on her degree and work fewer weekends. She would have been off government assistance years sooner.

But that's not how the system works. Because we don't trust poor people to do the right thing. We don't trust them to want to have a better life. We don't believe they are willing to work hard--work at all.

Remember The Ghost of Christmas Present who shows Scrooge the children hiding under his robes, Ignorance and Want? We have the power to end ignorance and want. We choose not to. Instead, we tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, even when they are without shoes.

That's my rant. Yes, progressive liberal stuff. But also in the spirit of the Christ who told us that if we have two shirts, give one to the poor. The Christ who said not to judge other's faults and ignore your larger ones--judging being the larger one. The Christ who taught mercy to strangers.

Perhaps Land's memoir will make people take a second look at mothers on assistance. Under the cinders is a princess striving to blossom.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Maid by Stephanie Land

Brief Summary: This is a memoir about working as a maid which provides a portrait of poverty in America.

Highlights: By far the best aspect of this book is how it raised my awareness of my own biases of poor people on government welfare. Like many minority groups, the social stigma is one of the most difficult challenges Stephanie faces; the judgmental eyes of other shoppers as she checks out and one man even tells her “your welcome” like he personally paid for her groceries. I found the social stigma experienced by those who use food stamps fascinating. I also found the system of government benefits for the poor which reinforces them to remain poor unjust and similar to the unfair system that people with disabilities face. I also found it frustrating that she couldn’t have a plan to fall back on.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5 stars; this was a thought provoking read that made me reflect about my own thoughts on poverty in America and those who depend on government assistance.

Psychology Factors: “Stephanie is the very model of “resilience” psychologists recommend for the poor. When confronted with an obstacle, she figures out how to move forward.” Agreed; her difficult journey laden with obstacles is inspiring and it makes you grateful for simple things like mold free housing, healthcare, and paid vacation. Psychologists will also appreciate the social justice aspects of low SES.

Favorite Quotes: I wish I had the courage to speak up for myself and to speak up for millions of others who were struggling through the same hardships as I was: domestic workers who worked minimal jobs; single parents. This is something minorities constantly grapple with to speak up to educate and advocate or not.

This is a great pick for social justice allies and advocates, psychologists and others in mental health fields, and book clubs. This is a really great thought provoking read that will make you grateful for basic things.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Maid was a compelling read for me. Stephanie Land is a young woman trapped by circumstance who turns to the physical menial labor of housecleaning to survive and care for her toddler.
The book is well written and the story moves along with no narrative pauses.
The author came from a middle-class upbringing, but due to becoming pregnant from a cold man, becomes trapped in poverty.
Her story affected me personally as I used to clean homes for a living as a young woman. However, it served as a retroactive cautionary tale: do not have children unless financially independent. Had Stephanie not had a child she would have had a far easier time saving herself from the economical prison of low-wage life.
Though the author eventually escapes her Maid existence, and earns her degree and thus her freedom to a higher level of housing and employment, I could not understand why she chose to suffer through so many years of physical labor. She could have chosen a less physically-demanding job, perhaps, but this was not mentioned in the narrative.
This book gives a human identity to poverty and shows the reader what it takes to survive as a single parent at a low-income level. Hopefully it will serve to create empathy and understanding for the working and struggling poor, which I am happy to know Stephanie Land no longer is.

I enjoyed reading Maid. The characters were all good and I found it very interesting! I could not figure out if is was a memoir or not. I felt sorry for Stephanie because she was abandoned by her parents. However, her choices were not always the best. She ended up pregnant by her abusive boyfriend and decided to keep the baby against his wishes. She tried to be a good mother to Mia but I felt like she was very young and immature. She did not have any great role models in her life to guide her but she made the best of their life that she could. She was so full of love for Mia and determined to provide a better life for them. I was so glad that she went back to college! Stephanie endured a lot and she learned a lot about life by going through so many trials. I would most definitely recommend this book!

I enjoyed reading this book. It gives an extremely personal perspective on how hard it is for single mothers with no support system to get ahead. It was informational as well as a well-written book. Everyone who has ever judged someone on food stamps or utilizing assistance programs should read this book!

Great book about the power of tenacity and not letting the system ruin you. Loved Stephanie’s easy, conversational tone, very down-to-earth.

Engrossing and eye opening are just two of the words that I would use to describe this awesome book. If you like well written memoirs and peeking into the lives of others pick up this gem. You won't be disappointed. Happy reading!

Maid is an excellent, humbling book about a girl who honestly portrays the low paid working class and I really felt that this was such a fresh perspective on poverty and struggles and what they are facing. So well written and relatatable.

"Evicted meets Nickel and Dimed" is how the publisher describes MAID by Stephanie Land. Our students have read those first two titles for class assignments and since we are always looking for an accessible non-fiction text about economic and social issues, I was very curious to see MAID. In this new book, Land describes what it is like to be single, pregnant and poor; she writes about leaving an abusive relationship, tearing up college applications and later watching her child learn to walk in a homeless shelter. Many other sections of the text (e.g., The Plant House, The Chef's House, The Hoarder House) offer musings about the lives of people who occupy the homes that Land cleans. To get a better idea of Land's writing style, have a look at her op-ed piece. "A Cleaning Job that Saved My Life," which appeared recently in The New York Times. Dark and despairing at times, Land's story ultimately arrives at a better place for her and daughter Mia. MAID includes a foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

In “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive” debut author Stephanie Land narrates her drastic and desperate story of survival as a single mother raising her daughter in Washington state—the home of Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks. The “indolent poor” are often blamed for their condition: accused of draining tax dollars for government "entitlements" and paltry SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits that seldom (or minimally) cover a grocery bill. Wealthy policy makers debate mandatory drug testing, work requirements and the ability of SNAP recipient’s to buy toilet paper and potato chips, as valuable tax breaks and additional public funding is increasingly allocated to the rich and corporate interests.
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In a small inland community of Port Angeles, Washington Land’s small daughter Mia learned to walk in a homeless shelter. With an offer of assistance, Stephanie’s clueless mother arrived with her equally clueless husband to “help” her daughter and grandchild move into transitional housing; later expecting Stephanie to pay her “fair share” of their costly restaurant bill. Without family support it was easy to see how our young people enter the public system of despair with draconian measures that further marginalize and punish the working poor for their condition.
It was utterly exhausting and demoralizing to be poor in Washington State. Stephanie required a total of seven programs to survive with Mia: Pell Grants, SNAP, TBRA, LIHEAP, WIC, Medicaid, and Childcare subsidizes. Too often, it was necessary to appear in person for interviews that required her to miss work and loose income from her low paying cleaning jobs. A car and all expenses associated with it were a requirement for this work. If a cleaning job didn’t meet a customer’s (unrealistic) expectations, Stephanie was required to “fix” the problem free of charge and at her own expense. Despite her physical ailments from hard labor and with the help of over the counter pain remedies she became a top rated sought after house cleaner. Stephanie worked for an agency and accepted independent assignments from customers as her professional reputation grew.
A search for support and companionship led Stephanie to a small rural family farm. The country was a great environment for Mia, though eventually Stephanie couldn’t keep up with the demands of her cleaning business and a partner that demanded servitude keeping all mutually earned income for himself. Next, in the Skagit Valley, Mia and Stephanie lived in a black mold infested apartment, where Mia was constantly sick with a steady rotation through medical appointments. Due to lack of space, Stephanie was forced to sell or give-away all non-essential belongings including things her father had given her to pass down to her own children. The tiny apartment was all she could afford.

In a campaign speech given by Ronald Reagan (1976-1980): national attention was turned to a Cadillac driving “Welfare Queen” fraudster that collected welfare payments. This claim was later proven false and a total myth, but the damage done (to the poor) with that statement has had lasting impacts on public opinion and policy. Land’s book is not a sob story, but rather a courageous story to rise above the harshness and brutality of poverty and discover a path towards success. Land graduated from the University of Montana earning a degree in English and Creative Writing (2014) and lives with her family in Missoula, Montana. ** With thanks and appreciation to Hachette Books via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.