Reviews tagging 'Classism'

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

26 reviews

miss_creant's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

This is the best book that I have read in a long time. Every human being should read this. I watched the Netflix series first, then read the book. I couldn’t put the book down.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Classism

avvamapia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

This was a good memoir. I think the time line of somethings confused me (like her saying she lived in Alaska? Maybe I missed it but that piece of information came out of nowhere for me) and while it didn't detract from the message and the sympathy I felt for her struggle I was just confused by it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

katie0528's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

Stephanie tells of life as a single mother. After deciding not to attend college after getting pregnant early in a new relationship, she winds up in a series of bad relationships, becomes homeless, and has to navigate endless government red tape in order to keep her infant daughter from starving. By taking on a series of cleaning jobs and gaining support from coworkers, clients, and case workers, Stephanie grasps a modecum of comfort time and time again only to have it snatched away again. While it is a seemingly realistic portrayal of life in poverty, including the restrictions on government aid, the social stigma in using it, and the lack of quality for what aid can even be used for, this book does feel a little inspiration porn-y. Strephanie was able to break the cyle of poverty, attend University of Montana, and publish her book. The second half of the book, Land constantly brings up how she will one day escape, and then

all of a sudden she gets a scholarship to support her move, her abusive ex quite literally disappears from her life

and everything magically falls together, with Land quite literally walking into the sunset at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness and Panic attacks/disorders

Poverty

leefox's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Classism

crybabybea's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.75

A good reminder that you never know the extent of what someone is going through, or the reason behind the decisions they make, and to have a little more empathy. 

I appreciated the look inside the complicated nature of navigating extreme poverty and homelessness, and single motherhood. I especially found it eye-opening to see the unnecessarily judgmental and harsh standards placed on those seeking help either via social services or homeless/domestic violence shelters. 

I found it hard to get through the middle portion of the book as the author spent a lot of time detailing the different homes she cleaned while working as a maid. Though I recognize the purpose of these scenes and think they did a great job juxtaposing the author's struggle to live with the privilege of those she worked for.

I think someone who doesn't know a lot about poverty or the experience of being poor would gain more knowledge from this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, and Classism

jsant's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

A powerful memoir of a young single mother working hard to make ends meet. I gained a valuable perspective reading this book. Made me think. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

parcoeur's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Moderate: Mental illness and Medical trauma

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

God was this good and impactful. Just a really clear look at how poverty looks in this godforsaken country, and how you can't "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" if the system is set up to make sure that you can't move forward. And Ms. Land didn't even have systemic racism working against her! Just. incredible and so important.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

maddiet425's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit

juliarenae's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

showed the reality, raw, and honest

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Classism