Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
Ratings3
Average rating4
15
Ratings3
Average rating4
"Stephanie Land worked for years as a maid, pulling long hours while struggling as a single mom to keep a roof over her daughter's head. In Maid, she reveals the dark truth of what it takes to survive and thrive in today's inequitable society. While she worked hard to scratch her way out of poverty as a single parent, scrubbing the toilets of the wealthy, navigating domestic labor jobs, higher education, assisted housing, and a tangled web of government assistance, Stephanie wrote. The stories of overworked and underpaid Americans. Written in honest, heart-rending prose and with great insight, Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them."--Provided by publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is hard to write a review for. Did Stephanie peek into my past and write my story? There is so much to unpack here it's crazy. This felt like listening to my struggles as a single mother and dealing with all the prejudice that came with being on welfare...with needing help.
When people saw me, with four small children, holding the WIC checks or pulling out the EBT card, Stephanie wasn't kidding...people were so hurtful and downright rude. I often left the grocery store in tears and a hurting heart, like somehow I was in the wrong.
I saw some reviews where they say the author is a whiner and it was Irritating to them. I take major offense to that. They more than likely never felt the stigma that came with having to ask for help. Being a single mother, who dealt with and experienced a lot of what she did, I understand...and I feel it.
I remember one day we were checking out at the grocery store. My kids wanted a bag of Doritos (it was considered a treat for us back then). I didn't have enough left on my food stamps and asked the clerk to please take it off. What I got was huffing and puffing and such a downright rude and disgusting attitude, I didn't even make it out of the store before I was in tears.
The lady who was behind me came running out the store, yelling after me as I was running to my car. She had bought the Doritos for my babies and told me to hang in there. It would get better. There is a lot to be said about kindness, and that day that woman showed me that not everyone is judgmental and hurtful.
I cried a lot throughout this one as it brought back a lot of memories for me (most of which weren't great). The fact that she lived in Alaska, which is where I raised my babies and still live, added even more to her story for me. It hit hard for me and I love her for being brave and throwing it all out there. I wish them both all the best.
