Sometimes, I pick up a book and find it difficult to finish. Oftentimes, it's because the content no longer ceases to entertain me - which is the sole purpose of a book - but Stephanie Land's book was not quite that.

I faltered, at times, to continue because it was such a stark realization of the poverty and hopelessness that can sometimes plague life. Land's novel starkly reminded me of a similar novel of Matthew Desmond's, the incredible Pulitzer Prize winning "Evicted".

I cried; I laughed; and I read.

Land's book was phenomenal, and if one ever needed a harsher and more gripping chokehold on life, "Maid" will give it to you.

5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. This book was very entertaining. I'm going to buy it when it comes out.

I totally enjoyed this story. There are so many misconceptions about the homeless and the misfortunate in this country. I am so glad Stephanie met all kinds of people, from the nasty and judgemental to the kind and helpful. I have volunteered with my family members in a local soup kitchen and we all got to see first hand that just because people may be homeless and down on their luck, it doesn't mean they are stupid or lazy. It just means they are currently in a bad place. I commend the author for her brutal honesty and her perseverance under such difficult circumstances. So many of her readers, if they are like me, will want to know how we can help people like Stephanie.
I hope when her book comes out that she will include agencies and contact information where people can help and locations where this can be done. I am confident readers will want to give of their time and resources after reading Stephanie's memoir.#Maid#NetGalley

I don’t know how or why we lead the lives we do. Why are some people born into a family of millionaires while others scrape to get by? Why is life so easy for some and so difficult for others? Have you ever found yourself judging a person using food stamps to buy their groceries? Have you ever judged welfare recipients? I could go on and on with the questions.

So many questions and judgments often swirl around those who are very different from us. I loved the book Nickel and Dimed which shed a hard light on trying to earn a living on low wages. There are people who are considered the “working poor” earning minimum wage while trying to support a family. In Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land, we see first hand how much of a challenge it is to work full time, pay bills, care for children, and try to improve your life so you can move ahead.

There were many times during the story where I felt with certainty that the author, Stephanie is way stronger than I could ever be. Being a mother is hard, being a single mother is probably harder than I can imagine. And being a poor single mom? I don’t know how Stephanie had the inner strength and intelligence to make things work.



Here’s what you need to know:

As a single mother, Stephanie scrubbed the toilets of the wealthy and lived in a dank studio with her daughter. Her journey is one of resilience and grit as she hops from home to home and survives on meager wages and public assistance. MAID is a deep dive into the gut-wrenching truth of both the secret underbelly of middle class America, and the reality of what it’s like to be in service to them. Barbara Ehrenreich writes, “Stephanie Land has something to teach us about both sides of the inequality divide. Neither is what you are expecting.”

Written in raw, masterful, heart-rending prose, MAID is the story of one woman’s tenacity to survive and break free of the grips of the system to give her child a better life. Stephanie Land’s work gives voice to the working poor. Her compassionate, unflinching writing is fueled by her own struggle as a low-income single mother who aspired to use her stories to expose the reality of pursuing the American Dream while being held under the poverty line.



This is a truthful struggle and the author sugarcoats nothing. You feel her frustration and exhaustion. This isn’t a lesson in poverty in the US, a political commentary, or a guide on how immigrants deal with the same struggles, rather its one woman’s journey and her experiences. I sense none of the “white privilege” we hear about, poverty is a sharp and cutting equalizer.

I am in awe of Stephanie’s fortitude and highly recommend this book. Due out in January 2019.

Maid by Stephanie Land

Not a book club pick for me, but an okay read for anyone who has cleaned houses for a living and hated it. While I sympathize with her plight, I have to say that this is not a fun read.

Stephanie Land thoroughly emphasizes the negatives of being a poverty stricken, down-on-your-luck single mom who has no one in her corner, especially not the abusive men in her life (exes), and certainly not her neglectful family. She repeatedly points out the pitfalls of an unplanned pregnancy with a bad man who is also a bad father, and I agree that there is no upside to any of this.


Tales of how Stephanie and her daughter Mia manage to barely scrape by are wearing. She is not pleased with much of the aid she does get. Food stamps? Child care allowances? Any other entitlements or help? Nothing was enough, plus she had to endure dirty looks at the grocery check-out, as well as the gossipy evil moms at the day care center that Mia attended. She tells us often that she was the best mom she could be under these difficult circumstances.

Stephanie did have her dreams though, and throughout the story tells of the life and home she desperately desires. To her credit, she did have enough insight to realize that getting a college degree would be her way out and save her from cleaning toilets forever.

Without posting a spoiler alert, I will say that all’s well that ends well, and she did write this book and get it published. Kudos to her for that accomplishment, especially in light of her pitiable start to adulthood.

At times, this book hit a little too close to home, so I thought it would be difficult for me to read, but the writing and author made it a lot easier than I had anticipated (Thank goodness!). I do not typically request/read memoirs, but I am very glad I did both in the case of this book. Definitely reinforced the strength of someone who has someone else relying on them for their own survival.... a must-read. 4 & 1/2 stars.

An inspiring memoir from a devoted mother in poverty. The writing is a little rough around the edges but the clear explanation of the hard work required to hang on by one's fingernails in America is worth it.

I received an E-Advanced Reader copy through Netgalley in exchange for a for a fair review. Thank you for the opportunity to do so!

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive documents Stephanie Land’s struggles as a single mom. Land finds herself and her daughter homeless after she leaves her abusive boyfriend. As the title suggests she works as a maid while she struggles to get out of a homeless shelter and provide for herself and her young daughter. Even when she does manage to get out of the homeless shelter life keeps knocking her down. Beaten and bruised from what life throws at her Land continues to get up and slug through, using the hope that things will get better to keep herself from giving up.
This memoir is distressing while also being inspirational at the same time. Not only does it show how people treat people when they poor, but also the struggle that they go through trying to crawl out of the incredibly deep hole of poverty. Land talks about many different situations but the two that stuck out to me the most where when Land uses SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to buy food at the supermarket. While checking out man tells her “you’re welcome” because in his mind he is the one who is helping her pay for her food with his contribution to taxes. How sad it was for someone to remark on her struggles without knowing anything about her. Another incident that stood out to me was her daughter, Mia, continuously get sick because of their living conditions. The only apartment that she can afford is a home that is damp, cold and teeming with black mold. The nurse, after Land tells her a bit about their apartment, tells her to try harder for her daughter. Even though Land frequently forgos food to feed her daughter, works a maid service job while taking more cleaning and landscaping jobs on the side. Not to mention how even earning a little bit more money will keep her from receiving some of her benefits that help her pay for Mia’s childcare while she works. Even with these hardships she manages to make it through, working to provide the best that she can for herself and Mia.
There are a few things that did bother me about this memoir. I wish that the timeline was more pronounced. Often I found myself confused as to if the time line was linear or not. I wish that years were mentioned more. Months were given but not mentioning the year every once in a while made it hard for me follow. The next thing that bothered me I am excluding from my overall dislike of the memoir until the final copy is out because I hope that it gets fixed before it’s publish next year. It has to do with using commas to separate nonessential phrases and clauses. Land with use this grammar rule twice in a sentence which can make it difficult to understand the sentence without reading it more than once taking out one phrase or clause at a time. This happens mostly in the first half of the book. So hopefully this just has to do with it not being a final copy. Finally, every once in a while there would be a paragraph that didn’t seem to relate to the what was going on in the paragraph before and after. While they gave important information it just seemed out of place.
I did like reading about Land’s hardship and struggles. It puts poverty into a perspective that allows for it to be understood. Showing the the judgement of her situation and her struggle to overcome it. I’m not sure if I want to pick up a final copy of this book, but I did enjoy the memoir.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Thank you.

I find myself struggling to find an appropriate word to describe this book. 'Inspirational' seems deficient, but there it is, nonetheless. Inspirational to those who are struggling -- an incredible story of perseverance and willingness to squeeze your eyes shut tight to take a leap into the unknown. The mountain can be conquered. Inspirational to those like me, whose life has been a cakewalk in comparison, to more regularly view the world around me with more compassion and empathy. Starting.Right.Now.

Best book I've read in a LONG time. Maybe EVER.

Maid is an eye-opening memoir of living in poverty. The narrative is strong and all the odds are against the author, but she somehow finds a way to carry on and raise her daughter while working minimum wage jobs. With rents and housing prices out of control, this book is timely. While often heart-wrenching, the narrator never gives into full hopelessness and there is always a ray of hope.

A book about a single mother trying to make ends meet. A memoir that resonates true with so many of us. Very thought provoking and well worth the time! You will not be able to forget the story and lessons.

This was an eye opening, sometimes heartbreaking, look at a hard working young single mother,who relies on "the system" to help her and her baby daughter stay (barely) afloat. It may change some people's minds about those who rely on government assistance, as this was someone who genuinely needed the help and did not game the system in order to survive. She worked as much as possible to provide food and a moldy apartment for her daughter, yet it never seemed enough. One bout of sickness or a car accident would be enough to cause yet another crisis in her life. Her family and the men in her life often let her down; occasionally she would know kindness from the families that she cleaned house for. Her hard work and sheer determination to make it through college to become a writer finally won out. I would recommend this to anyone who has read and enjoyed Nickel and DImed. Thank you to Hachette and Netgalley for the advance digital review copy!

What an eye-opening read! In Maid, Land gives the reader an unflinching, honest look at what it's like to be a single mom and a service worker in today's fragile economy. A hard read at times but a necessary one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Having read Nickel and Dimed nearly 20 years ago, I was intrigued to read this upcoming release by Stephanie Land - Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, a Mother’s Will to Survive (forward by Barbara Ehrenreich). Land gives readers an unflinching account into the life of a domestic worker, struggling to provide for her daughter as a single mother. Land details both lessons learned working in various homes in the labor economy and the various government assistance programs that she turns to in order to eek out a living. This book shows the fragility of the US social safety net.

I think this is a must read. It’s an eye opening first hand account of what life is like when working at one of the lowest paid jobs in this country. My heart went out to the author as she struggled to provide for herself and her child. Having a job isn’t the magical solution so many think it is when you’re working a job that doesn’t pay a living wage yet provides too great an income to qualify for many assistance programs. How she managed was truly inspirational and provided much food for thought.

I must say, I started out a bit angry with the author. Unprotected sex? A baby comes along to destroy the dreams of going to college? Well, what did she expect would happen? But if anyone ever worked for their "handouts," Stephanie did. If anyone ever put their nose to the grindstone, put one foot in front of the other and did the right thing day after day, it was Stephanie. I learned a great deal about the welfare and social services systems, and was quite shocked to learn that the more an individual does get ahead financially or otherwise, the more the system can make it harder for them to keep pushing ahead.

The reader will no doubt be drawn to her voice, one that is so adept in technique, she can make details of cleaning other people's homes downright interesting. Who knew that in the process of cleaning up our filth, a maid can learn far more than they need to about our private lives? Indeed, they probably know more about certain aspects than we would care to admit.

In short, there wasn't a single page of this book I didn't enjoy..

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. Thank you! Although all opinions expressed here are my own.

I really enjoyed a lot of this story! I also grew up with a single mom, partially in poverty at times, and this book reminded me how awesome and butt-kicking single moms are. I also grew up in the Northwest and I really loved the nostalgia Stephanie Land induced in me by all the talk of the green, the trees, and the rain. It was a lovely story with heartache but also hope for a better future. Despite all the warmth that made me feel in my chest it also made me feel a little frustrated too. Stephanie has a fair amount of privilege going into the poverty experience and she always maintains the confidence that it is temporary. Thankfully she addresses this privilege and does a great job explaining the many struggles of government assistance. That all being said, the vast majority of people living in poverty in America will never escape and never see a way out. I would love to know more of their stories but I also understand that their inherent lack of privilege means it's not likely. All in all Stephanie Land did a great job telling a story that needed to be told about poverty in America.

This book is nothing short of brilliant. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys an engaging, fast-paced and scathing read. Similar to Evicted but from a female perspective, this book offers so much insight on what it's like to be poor in America but to keep trying and trying to make ends meet. It's also a look into domestic labour and how that impacts on the lives of women. Definitely recommend.

Maid is a harrowing tale of a young mothers will to survive while caring for her young daughter. Stephanie Land found herself homeless after leaving an abusive relationship with nowhere to go. Her parents were divorced with their own lives and new significant others so she had nowhere to turn to. She remembered how her mother would tell her how great she was at cleaning the bathrooms when she was little and answered an ad in the paper that was looking for a housekeeper.

I really felt empathetic towards her because I know a few single mothers and I know how hard it is raising a child while working.

She really delves into the poor, working class and how hard it is to keep your head above water while keeping it all together.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would look for books from her in the future.

I received an advance copy of this E-book from NetGalley.

Stephanie Land was a young, single mother when she found herself homeless. With nowhere to turn to for help, she struggled to find a way to get on her feet while supporting her young daughter, Mia. House cleaning was an occupation she found herself in, but she soon realized that the paltry wages she was paid barely allowed her to keep a roof over her head. The juxtaposition between the moldy, drafty studio apartment that she and Mia lived coupled with the houses and lives of the customers she cleaned for, was both tormenting and inspiring for Stephanie.


I went into this book expecting more of an expose on the housecleaning business. Maybe some funny or horrifying stories of clients that Land had. What I got was even better. The housecleaning aspect of the book wasn't as big of a focus, it was more the type of job that Stephanie was forced to take on that makes the book what it is. In that respect, I see the similarities between this book and Nickel and Dimed. In fact, I reviewed this book on Litsy and said it is like Nickel and Dimed and Evicted with a more personal, humanistic approach.


The memoir construct worked really well for me. I loved getting to know Stephanie. I was certainly rooting for her, which made me sad in a way. Because I know she has been immensely successful and was able to graduate from college and it made me wonder--how many people in this situation really escape? I'm sure statistically the number is microscopic.


If there's any way to maybe add an update at the end, so we know how things turned out for Stephanie and what she's up to now, that would be so cool. I went on a google spree once I finished this, so I feel like I somewhat know the answer but it would be nice to have a blurb in the book.


Overall I thought this was a fantastic memoir. It's not over the top like Running with Scissors or Education, which only makes it more relatable. There's often such a disconnect between the homeless and downtrodden and the middle/lower-middleclass, but Maid shows that Stephanie could be any of us.