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

Really powerful memoir about a single mom just trying to survive and take care of her little one the best she can. I read a lot of pretty judgmental reviews of this book, people criticizing the author's various decisions, thinking she should have spent money differently or worked harder etc. But I was near tears for much of the book as I saw a woman in survival mode, without any support systems from family/friends, gathering the strength and initiative to care for her child. I resonated with the loneliness she describes and the lack of capacity to do anything more than simply survive another day. No judgment from me.

my actual opinions of this book have been summarized in a far more clear and concise way by other reviewers than I could, so go read other reviews if you like that

on a more personal note, I spent several of my childhood summers visiting my grandparents in Skagit County, taking the ferry to Whidby Island, and eating at my favorite restaurant in Fairhaven... so reading this feels like getting shot in the heart with nostalgia

Stephanie Land shares her experiences living below the poverty line, with a young child, cleaning houses. As you might expect, it's a grim life, living paycheck to paycheck, with all the niceties that many of us take for granted.

I'm sure I am going to sound hard-hearted but there were many things about this story that bothered me. I was sad Land didn't focus on the things she did have during her short time in poverty. She received child support. She received free college tuition. She received food stamps. She received rent and child care subsidies. She had a job. She was able to attend college. I was also sad that Land wasn't honest with herself about mistakes she made, impulsive decisions that had heavy consequences. I also was appalled at how she looked through the possessions of people in the homes she was cleaning. It frustrated me that every time she came into a bit of money she quickly spent it on superfluous things. I felt especially annoyed by that sense of entitlement she seemed to have; when did we get to the place in the world that we feel like others are duty-bound to help us? On the other hand, I did like the place in the story where she turned from this sort of thinking, when she cleaned for the family that exuded love, when she realized that that is the most important thing that she and her daughter had, when she began to move toward the realization of her dreams.

This was an engaging memoir. It's something that I think would be a great read for the kind of people who are mad about welfare moms, but those people probably won't ever read this, so whatever. But Land's memoir perfectly demonstrates the razor edge that a lot of Americans in poverty live, where the slightest extra expense or piece of bad fortune can send a whole house of cards toppling down. (And that's even with her white privilege, a factor she doesn't really engage with, but it bears keeping in mind as a reader–it seems almost impossible for Land to have accomplished what she did, so how does someone else pull this off if the deck is stacked even higher against them?)

Anyway. I was moved by her observations about her daughter, as well as the empathy and insight she shows toward those whose houses she cleaned.

This would be a good one for a lot of book clubs.

I finished Maid: Hard Work, Low pay and a mothers will to survive by Stephanie Land and here are my thoughts.


When Stephanie left her abusive relationship with the father of her little girl, she had no money and nowhere to go.

Stephanie's story is one that happens to so many women. When they leave a relationship, especially with a child(ren), they often haven't been working and have no access to money.

The unfortunate reality is the system is broken and Stephanie tells a compelling story of perseverance and living in a world where the help is seen as being less than everyone else. The realities of working for minimum wage and trying to care for a child in a world not built for women to do much outside of the home comes across loud and clear in this epic memoir.

I could relate to Stephanie. I was that mother fleeing abuse with no job, no money and a dangerous ex. Getting financial assistance isn't even enough to cover rent here in Alberta let alone the cost of food, schooling for kids and bills. It is not an easy path trying to become independent when your skills are now out of date (my situation) or like Stephanie's where she hadn't yet really started her life and had no way of going to school full time to get herself in a better position for pay. Problem there is that student debt is a killer all on its own.

I thought the writing was really well done and I enjoyed the book in one sitting. Stephanie did an excellent job of portraying how she felt having to use food stamps and what kind of upheavals can happen when changes are made that are not for the betterment of the people who have to use them. It also shows a lot of misconceptions about poor people. Just because they need assistance, doesn't mean they won't pay their bills or that they will trash the homes they rent. There are bad eggs but most just want a safe place to stay and work their fingers to the bone to provide.

I can see why this book was so popular and I am really pleased I finally had the chance to read it.

4 stars!

I got this one from the library so thank you haha!!

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I'm so glad that Stephanie Land shared her story. The working poor have so few voices, no surprise as many of the people experiencing it are too busy working multiple jobs to have time to write. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of a reader who needs it at the right time. I also recommend [b:Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America 21944886 Hand to Mouth Living in Bootstrap America Linda Tirado https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408924415s/21944886.jpg 41248987] and [b:Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America 1869 Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting by in America Barbara Ehrenreich https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442378091s/1869.jpg 1840613].For domestic abuse: [b:Fierce: A Memoir 429054 Fierce A Memoir Barbara Robinette Moss https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441724541s/429054.jpg 418056]and [b:Without a Net: Middle Class and Homeless with Kids in America 98821 Without a Net Middle Class and Homeless with Kids in America Michelle Kennedy https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440631169s/98821.jpg 95266]