Maid

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

By: Stephanie Land, Barbara Ehrenreich - foreword

Narrated by: Stephanie Land

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

"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)

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.

©2019 Stephanie Land (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

President Barack Obama, Summer Reading List (2019)

Forbes, Most Anticipated Books of the Year

Glamour, Best Books of the Year

Time, 11 New Books to Read This January

Vulture, Eight New Books You Should Read This January

Thrillist, All the Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019

USA Today, Five New Books Not to Miss

Amazon, Best Books of the Month

Detroit News, New Books to Look Forward to in 2019

The Missoulian, Best Books of the Month

San Diego Entertainer, Books to Kick Off Your New Year

People, Perfect for Your Book Club

Boston.com, 20 Books to Look Out for in 2019

Hello Giggles, Best New Books to Read This Week

Newsweek, Best Books of 2019 So Far

CNN Travel, Books You Should Read This Summer

Mental Floss, Summer Reading List

BookTrib, Books That Will Make You Look Smart at the Beach!

"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 2019 Summer Reading List")

"More than any book in recent memory, Land nails the sheer terror that comes with being poor, the exhausting vigilance of knowing that any misstep or twist of fate will push you deeper into the hole." (The Boston Globe)

"Stephanie Lands memoir [Maid] is a bracing one." (The Atlantic)

Amazing

This is a moving, insightful, and well-told story. Stephanie is rather like J.K.Rowling, it occurs to me, in that she pulled herself up out of really difficult circumstances because she knew she had something important inside her and actually had the grit to make it (her writing) happen. More power to her! I highly recommend this book.

Engaging story

I enjoyed the story, sympathized with the author’s struggles, but was frequently disappointed by the judgmental tone and somewhat self centered self and congratulatory references. The repeated description of her sacrifices for her daughter took away from the stronger aspects of the story. The author distributes blame for her situation to many involved in her life without much concern about the struggles those others had themselves faced.

I think the vivid detail of the difficulties of the poor in our society makes this an important novel not only for the more privileged but also for those struggling to pull themselves up from those circumstances.

I just kept yearning for more focus on her relationship with her daughter and the positive aspects of the help that she received.

A pleasant read but not captivating

I was not anxious to get back to reading this book but when I start something I'm determine to finish. It is an inspiring success story but thought too much repetition describing the writer's poverty and relationship. Came across as 'filler' rather than getting ahead with the process of moving forward in her life.

Maid

This book really touched me. I never was in the kind of desperation Stephanie was in, but in my younger years, I was low income and judged harshly for it. I know the feeling of going to bed hungry and those feelings of helplessness. I am glad for these kinds of books. I don’t think a lot of people realize how hard it is to worry about where your next meal is going to come from, or how lonely life can be.
I’m so glad she raised herself out of poverty, and hope this book will provide inspiration for people that don’t have the kinds of worries Stephanie had, to at least be empathetic and less judging.

Beautiful

This books felt like the life I could have had if I had had a child young instead of when I was 34 and married. It was like seeing into a world that I was destined for but some how I took a right instead of a left. I grew up in rural Washington state as well, moving to Portland as a teenager. I can relate to her descriptions of the NW and clearly picture the landscapes she describes. Her relationships to her parents and their abandonment when she needed them the most is also I reality I understand well. This was a well written and factual account of what life is like when you have no one but yourself and government resources for survival. I really question the readers who gave this book poor reviews. I can only imagine that either they have not struggled and cannot relate, or they wear their struggle like a badge of honor and find her account off putting at it's willingness to be vulnerable. Either way, it shows to me they don't have the depth to see it's beauty. I look forward to her future work.
Sometimes the narration wasn't the best, but I get she's not a professional narrator.

great book!

I loved this book! Found myself relating to situations 💯 so Happy that she followed her dream and stayed strong. From one " Maid" to another, there are some who Need to read this!

Eye Opening

So I thought we struggled in life, trying to make ends meet. The programs she was able to find to help her, I did not even know existed. Glad she was able to get the help she needed, work hard and get out of the rut. I hated that at times she was ridiculed for using her WIC or Food stamps, people are just rude and have no idea. Her baby daddy was a jerk.

A must read!

I loved Stephanie’s story, thank you for having the courage to share it with us.

Poverty Cycle

This is a topic that more people should write about and more people should read about. The poverty cycle is vicious and, despite popular believe, not made up of lazy people. My biggest issue with this book is that it constantly mentioned Stephanie's desire to write/be a writer so it set the bar very high for me, and her writing is just fine unfortunately. I wish her writing was a little better so it could have earned the full 5-star rating from me.

Inspirational

Beautiful story. depressing in the beginning but her drive to do better for her daughter and herself kept me listening. tears in my eyes at the end.