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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Class is a follow-up to the book Maid. If you are a fan of true stories, this will be a great read for you. I enjoyed learning more about Stephanie as she struggled to support herself and her daughter while she went to school. I look forward to more books by Stephanie Land. Thank you to NetGalley, One Signal publishers/Atria for the ARC. I am leaving this review and is my own opinion. #class, #stephanieland, #onesignalpublishers, #atria, #netgalley
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
loved this! I think I liked it better than the first one because I didn’t have a series to compare it to. i love strong women!
medium-paced
Stephanie Land is a self absorbed prat. A lot of her issues were brought on by her own poor decision making. Instead of being inspired, it was really the story of a selfish 30 something year old who was so driven by her quest to become a "writer" (she's mediocre, not amazing) that she neglects her duties as a mother. She's too busy enjoying her hookups and bar nights (again - behavior that is normal in your 20s, but your 30s, c'mon) to focus on her kid. But it's the world that is stacked against her because in her mind, it's her right to go to school...
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challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
At first this book felt a little whiney to me and I couldn’t help but wonder how Emilia, Land’s daughter, might feel about how Land described motherhood. I’ll admit that sometimes while reading I found myself wondering how someone could prioritize their aspirations and goals over the quality of their child’s meals. But as I read, as I flirted with judging the book by that frame of mind, the responding question I had to ask myself was, “Is that a classist question or an ethical one?” At the end of the day, education is a key that unlocks one of many doors between lower and middle class.
Initially I would have rated this book as a 3 star. But Land seemed to grow so much by the end of that year in her life and the birth of her daughter Coraline changed my rating. I admire her relentlessness.
Initially I would have rated this book as a 3 star. But Land seemed to grow so much by the end of that year in her life and the birth of her daughter Coraline changed my rating. I admire her relentlessness.
emotional
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I felt like this was an informative memoir. The author shares her experience as a single mom who escaped an abusive relationship--dreams of being a writer. Going to school for it while working (cleaning houses) and struggling to house and feed her and her young daughter, with very little support, and lots of stigma...more so, when she was facing another unplanned pregnancy. We’re always told ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, get two or three jobs if you have to. Have that baby! At the same time, we are demonized and stigmatized for every choice we make…even when it’s when the ones made for us. Make it make sense! I’m glad everything sorted out for the author and I’m looking forward to reading her other memoir, ‘Maid’.
Things to take from this book: don’t judge anyone—you don’t know what they are going through…it could be you. Big one: we urgently need policy changes and social safety nets in this country, because this ain’t it.
Things to take from this book: don’t judge anyone—you don’t know what they are going through…it could be you. Big one: we urgently need policy changes and social safety nets in this country, because this ain’t it.
informative
inspiring
reflective
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion
Moderate: Emotional abuse
reflective
fast-paced
A follow up to Maid, this memoir of Land’s was a little less cohesive and poignant. Still, it’s a very readable, vulnerable personal account of poverty, particularly as it relates to single-parenting and access to higher education. Like Land’s previous book, I wanted more structural analysis and research, but Land is very adamant in interviews that she’s not that kind of writer. There were definitely portions of the book that felt rambly and lacked depth. But in the end, I kinda like that she just does her own thing unapologetically.