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becki_bee 's review for:
Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education
by Stephanie Land
Author Stephanie Land's previous book, "Maid", was her memoir of struggling as a single mother living below the poverty line. In this follow-up, "Class" , Land continues to share her story of fighting to access higher learning as a single mother living below the poverty line.
The beauty of memoirs is that they allow readers to access a life that is unlike their own lives. At their best, they make you more empathetic to the struggles of others and more aware of systemic injustices.
I most appreciated the parts of this book that addressed the struggles of poverty and education... student loans, child care, the high cost of copying essays to share with all of the author's peers in the classroom, etc etc.
In other sections, it was harder for me to sympathize. I had to keep reminding myself that poor people are allowed to make mistakes, too. They are allowed to pick abusive boyfriends just like rich people are. They are allowed to use birth control with a high failure rate just like middle class folks can. They are allowed to have unflattering opinions of their professors and friends and write about them in very public ways... I guess.
That being said, this author often comes across as an immature person who views herself as a near-constant victim of not only "the system", but also her family, boyfriends, friends, professors, judicial systems, etc. I *know* that this author has fought through circumstances I have never faced. And by her own account, she's come through those battles and is in a much better place now. I'm so glad for her. Just be aware that this book is not just a look at how hard it is for poor folks to get ahead via our higher education system. It also includes a significant side of relational drama.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
The beauty of memoirs is that they allow readers to access a life that is unlike their own lives. At their best, they make you more empathetic to the struggles of others and more aware of systemic injustices.
I most appreciated the parts of this book that addressed the struggles of poverty and education... student loans, child care, the high cost of copying essays to share with all of the author's peers in the classroom, etc etc.
In other sections, it was harder for me to sympathize. I had to keep reminding myself that poor people are allowed to make mistakes, too. They are allowed to pick abusive boyfriends just like rich people are. They are allowed to use birth control with a high failure rate just like middle class folks can. They are allowed to have unflattering opinions of their professors and friends and write about them in very public ways... I guess.
That being said, this author often comes across as an immature person who views herself as a near-constant victim of not only "the system", but also her family, boyfriends, friends, professors, judicial systems, etc. I *know* that this author has fought through circumstances I have never faced. And by her own account, she's come through those battles and is in a much better place now. I'm so glad for her. Just be aware that this book is not just a look at how hard it is for poor folks to get ahead via our higher education system. It also includes a significant side of relational drama.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for an ARC of this book.