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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
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. 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 (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.
**Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.**
**Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.**
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
I enjoyed this book. Ironically I see other reviewers mentioning her lack of insight while not acknowledging their own privilege, thus proving her point that society is only satisfied when poor people act poor.
Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
7/10
After first reading Maid, I was very excited to read this sequel memoir detailing Land’s experience pursuing her bachelors while still being low income and a single mother.
I definitely enjoyed this book as much as Maid, but the chapters and spacing of the story seemed a little less clear. With Maid, each chapter was named after a house she cleaned. With Class, I wasn’t sure how the book was going to end or when it was going to. The journey with Class seems more focused on her entire time in school rather than her experience solely in school.
I enjoyed learning more about Emilia and Land’s passion in writing but still find myself with a story incomplete between Maid and Class. Although there might not be a conclusive ending, I wonder if there will be another book detailing Land out of college pursuing freelance writing, navigating that world, alongside her two daughters and what that means/looks like.
After first reading Maid, I was very excited to read this sequel memoir detailing Land’s experience pursuing her bachelors while still being low income and a single mother.
I definitely enjoyed this book as much as Maid, but the chapters and spacing of the story seemed a little less clear. With Maid, each chapter was named after a house she cleaned. With Class, I wasn’t sure how the book was going to end or when it was going to. The journey with Class seems more focused on her entire time in school rather than her experience solely in school.
I enjoyed learning more about Emilia and Land’s passion in writing but still find myself with a story incomplete between Maid and Class. Although there might not be a conclusive ending, I wonder if there will be another book detailing Land out of college pursuing freelance writing, navigating that world, alongside her two daughters and what that means/looks like.
Her writing is a solid 4-5 stars. There was much I felt she told well but there were several parts where I struggled to respect her choices and couldn’t believe she was a woman in her 30s and not 18. She lacked maturity. Her story is not uncommon I’m sure. I really enjoyed the show Maid based on her first book. This second book was the continuation of that and unfortunately it felt like a less mature version than she was in the first book.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I enjoyed [b:Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive|39218350|Maid Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive|Stephanie Land|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573822660l/39218350._SY75_.jpg|60800466] quite much so I decided to read the follow up to that book. I like her writing style and it captivated me enough until the end. I do question some of her life choices but who am I to judge when I myself have made bad decisions in the past. It's quite shocking to me that Americans can have it quite hard as well. We all thought America is the land of dream and they take care of their citizens well there. I can feel the writer's loneliness and despair. I do wish she finishes telling us some parts that she told us, like what happens with Daniel, for example. Some friends' names also suddenly pop out of nowhere and it's hard to keep track of them.