Class, like the author's first book, Maid, is a quick and engrossing read that examines the writer's experiences in poverty in the US, specifically while attending college and building an early career as a writer. She writes movingly about abortion, as well as about sharing custody with an abusive ex, and raising her small daughter. The moments with her daughter felt, to me, the strongest and most emotionally resonant; her daughter feels like a very real character, whereas I sometimes felt side characters felt a little too flat and one-dimensional in their being "bad" or a traitor. I'd read about Land and her children endlessly, though. There's so much heart.

Land, as she writes it, didn't experience abject poverty (government assistance, etc) until adulthood and was raised in a two-parent home where both worked and one achieved a master's degree. I think this context is important because I think experiencing poverty as a young person and as an adult can be different lenses--not a failure of the book, just something to chew on while reading... or at least something I chewed on, as I grew up in chronic poverty myself. I wasn't surprised by the ever-frustrating and fundamentally unfair guidelines and requirements for various assistance programs, for ex, but I grew up with that as my norm.

Many readers who find Class educational are, perhaps ironically, going to be people who didn't (or don't) live in poverty, and that's okay. It's still beneficial to read, and an important work, and one that will open eyes and humanize low-income people, and specifically, low-income single mothers, who face deep malignment. Again: It's a valuable book, and a smart and important one. But it's also a book about poverty written by someone with privilege, including whiteness, and having been raised not in poverty. There's a paragraph that acknowledges Land's white privilege, which is great, but I think it could have used more interrogation.

I think some plot points could have used a little more pressing down, too; much of the narrator's plight hinges on relocating to another state for college, but they don't realize how expensive out-of-state tuition will be until they get there, because... they didn't know about residency requirements? Or that you don't need to attend an undergraduate program in order to apply for an MFA later? Or that gov benefits vary based on the age of the folks living in the home? These details don't change the most important takeaways of the book (we need more support for families, less shame, etc), but they puzzled me. I just wanted to get a little closer and understand, not to blame, but to feel more intimacy with the protagonist and "get" why some of these issues seemed to come out of left field for the protagonist at the time.

Those things are not reasons not to read the book, nor to discount the writer's struggles, but they are factors that stayed with me as I read. This narrative is deeply personal and singular--it focuses so tightly on the writer's personal experiences, I began to crave some research, data, or even interviews, in the vain of Anne Helen Peterson's CAN'T EVEN. The critical feedback Land recounts receiving in a writing workshop is that a piece she submitted was "relentless," and I think that can be applied to this book, too; it's the feeling of one thing after another, and that works, imo, because that's the experience of poverty. But I can also see how weaving in other experiences/research/etc can provide some breathing room and context.

I think this book will do very well, and I think many readers will learn from it, and come away with a much deeper and nuanced understanding of how very hard it is to be poor in this country. That's a win. I'm simply not the ideal reader for this one, but it's a worthwhile read, especially if you're financially privileged.

I read this after watching Maid on Netflix. So I was comparing the two for the first part of the book. This book is about a single mom with a strong determination to set out and succeed at what she has always wanted to be. While doing all that she has to do it basically all on her own. This book reminded me that some have to work extra hard and have a lot of challenges just to succeed at their goals for their life.

Stephanie Land, writer of the highly acclaimed Maid writes her second novel Class about her dream to become a writer and her struggle to get there. Class is moving, honest and raw. Land describes the difficulties that a single mother faces when trying to make something of herself and her career by going to college even though she is still below the poverty line. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, Class is a moving memoir about one mother’s journey to becoming who she wants to be.

I just reviewed Class by Stephanie Land. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] I feel like this book was just as good as the first one "Maid". I would definitely recommend.

I didn't find this book nearly as compelling as Maid and had a hard time finishing it. If you're unfamiliar with the struggles of the working class, it could be a real eye-opener; if it's an all too familiar story to you, as it was for me, it could be a potentially triggering slog.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by Land, although I have heard all about her first memoir: Maid. This showed me a new perspective on poverty from a single mother, struggling to take care of her daughter, while working and pursuing a college education. She provided a first hand experience of what it’s like to be food insecure and how sometimes the “system” isn’t much help. There were some glimpses where I felt Land almost came across selfish (don’t hate!) when she would say things like, “I had no tolerance for friends I heavily relied on and trusted who let me down when I needed them most.” Overall it was funny at times, sad at times, and definitely opened my eyes to a class of poverty, which I think was the main intent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Stephanie Land’s second work focuses on her living student life in English undergraduate studies, raising her daughter, falling in love, and going through a second pregnancy all while dealing with social inequality, economic troubles, and the aftereffects of trauma. These aspects of her life also collide with her desire to find her literary voice and her happiness.
Land writes her story from the perspective of a fiction novel, enabling readers to read about her journey as though it were real-time narrative. Her story of single parenthood is inspiring and in essence, Class is about confronting life’s challenges and reveling in the victories.

I LOVED reading Class and Stephanie's journey of the learnings and pitfalls of juggling college and work AND supporting her daughter. Her storytelling is flawless and so engaging that you always feel you know her and are part of her life somehow. I'm so glad and happy about the success 9f Maid, and I'm sure this book will resonate with readers just as much as Maid did!! Highly recommended!

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of CLASS by Stephanie Land in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look, and have a safe and happy summer!

Class
Stephanie Land

Like many, I discovered Stephanie Land through the Netflix series, Maid, which was based on her memoir. As always, the book was so much better than the screen version, and when I heard of her next book, Class, it immediately went on my TBR and I scored an ARC thanks to NetGalley.

Class picks up right from where she left off in Maid. After leaving Washington state and making it to Missoula, Montana, Land finds herself navigating the world of higher education while struggling with the challenges of poverty and single motherhood along with hanging tightly on to the dream of making a career out of writing.

While my life and my struggles are very different from the ones Land experience, I feel like she was talking directly to me in her acknowledgements:

“All of this is to say I believe your story is important. I want to see it in the light of day, occupying spaces where people might read it. I want people to know about your struggles. I want people to know how impossible life feels at times. It’s fucking hard, and it’s not your fault that it’s hard”

The stories that are the hardest to tell are the ones that need to be told. I keep this in mind as I pursue my own storytelling.

I liked Maid a lot. Land's writing is always so easy to read and keep your attention.
This one looks at her life and her daughter's life as they deal with poverty and trying to make it by.
This is such an encouraging story of not giving up and working hard for our family.
I enjoyed reading her story and had so many feelings reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Stephanie Land's second memoir about the struggles of being a single mother, living in poverty, and the injustices she dealt with while trying to earn a college writing degree.

She is a great writer, and her books are straight-forward and easy to read. I did not enjoy this one as much as Maid. This one felt too personal and with a great deal details about her life. There were still overall themes about socioeconomic difficulties as well the challenges of being a single mom, but the overall writing was more focused on her and some lifestyle choices. There were some eye-opening moments about struggles many don't have to face but honestly this one was just TMI at times. This one just missed the mark for me after Maid was so memorable.

It was very thought provoking. It changed the way I view pregnancy and loved that Stephanie used her voice to discuss how pregnancy is not just for wealthy people. No one should be revoked the right to have a child no matter their social. economic status. There needs to be better systems in place for those who need financial help

Naturally, most people will compare this book with Land's first and highly successful book, "Maid". The writing is well done and the book kept my attention. However, there were instances in which she was highly specific and other ones within the book that were vague. Stephanie managed to highlight how hard it is as a single mom and how much the system is against you trying to succeed. I did find myself trudging along to just complete the book - not necessarily out of enjoyment. But that could just be me!

I was THRILLED to receive an ARC of this memoir; I'm such a fan of Stephanie Land, and I thought Maid was a compelling and powerful read. Land has a straightforward writing style that lends itself well to her storytelling, but Class vacillated between hyper-specific details from her life and then more general statements about class inequity and hunger in the United States. I would have liked to have seen more connective tissue between Land's personal story and the larger points she wanted to communicate in Class. I greatly admire Land's perseverance and tenacity; she's certainly dealt with challenging circumstances beyond the grasp of my personal experience. That said, I think she also gave a few too many personal details in Class (including many rather specific details about her sex life) that also distracted from her larger points about living below the poverty line, the flawed child support systems in the United States, and the challenges of applying for both educational funding and food stamps. That said, it's really remarkable to read Land's memoir now as a successful published author when you read more about her intense journey to earn her undergraduate degree in English as a pregnant single parent cobbling together multiple jobs and caring for her six-year-old daughter.

I read Stephanie Lands Maid-and was curious to see how her life had changed.Class was interesting but sad watching her continue to struggle to survive still cleaning still fighting with her daughters father.She is a strong resilient woman who will do what it takes to survive.#netgalley #attia

Having read and watched Maid, I was very excited to have access to Stephanie’s newest book!! The section on “resilience” and “strength” among trauma survivors resonated deeply with me and I appreciated that insight. Her writing invoked heartbreak, fury, annoyance, anger, sadness, and compassion in me throughout the entire book. That being said, a lot of the book felt disjointed and I got confused with the different time jumps back and forth. I felt, as with Stephanie’s first work, there could have been more commentary on the privilege that being a White person in her situation afforded her. My ARC was provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so much. Maid was one of my favorite reads and I absolutely loved the Netflix adaptation however; this book fell flat for me. I tried several times to push through and just could NOT for myself to get to the end. I sometimes think it is better to leave a story as is and not to try to recreate the same feeling or even success as the first one.

I loved Maid so when I saw that Ms. Land wrote a memoir, I was so excited to read it. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I found it monotonous and self-serving. She talks about never having any money, but thinks she can spend money on things that aren’t necessary. I was a single mom raising two kids and had no car. There were no luxuries in my kids’ lives whatsoever. You can’t have it both ways. If you’re broke, don’t spend extra. Anyways, it was a book about complaints on how difficult single parenting is while having to work and earn a degree. I didn’t care for it. I give it 3 stars since Ms. Land is a good writer, it’s the content that didn’t work.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC of Class by Stephanie Land in exchange for my honest review.

Class is Stephanie Land's second memoir about her struggles of balancing life as a single mother and student in poverty. She discusses how barriers make it nearly impossible to survive as a single parent trying to get an education. "Resilience as a virtue is assigned, especially to marginalized groups, when systemic structures have created countless invisible barriers to living what the privileged consider a normal life."

I was disappointed to see how many of these reviews on Goodreads blamed Stephanie. As a society, we shame poor people for doing anything "extra" for themselves. She wanted to better herself and her child by getting a degree, but then she's being shamed for being self employed. She had to pay a price to leave an abusive relationship, which she's blamed for! Imagine if she had stayed in that relationship...she'd be shamed for not leaving. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Stephanie captured these moments of being shamed and ridiculed for every single decision she made. in such a way that I could feel her pain. I cannot even imagine how exhausting that would be. "Who I had to prove this to or who actually judged me for my choices was never clear, because it felt like everyone most of the time: from what I bought with food stamps to if I went out for coffee with a friend in the middle of the day. The paranoia that I would somehow get caught in a frivolous moment never left me."

This story was raw and real. This book made me feel something. While I overall enjoyed the writing style, there were pieces of the story that lagged for me. Stephanie's story of survival is raw and gut wrenching.