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thereadingzombie 's review for:
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
by Stephanie Land
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
I really appreciate Stephanie Land sharing her story. Poverty is a difficult and deeply personal topic, and this memoir shows just how complex that experience can be. There are some excellent books that take a more researched or academic approach to poverty in America, like Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. This isn't that. This is a memoir. It's her lived experience, whether you agree with her choices or not.
I’ve read some of the other reviews, and maybe we need to return to the idea that we listen and we don’t judge. I’ll admit, I also wondered why she kept cleaning houses instead of trying something different. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. That kind of work is flexible, and childcare is incredibly expensive, even with a voucher. If she earned even a little more money, she could lose some of the benefits that were helping her stay afloat. And that extra income would likely just go toward covering the higher costs. It can be incredibly hard to break out of poverty, and being poor is expensive.
I really enjoyed the small glimpses into her clients’ lives. Those moments felt relatable and so human. I think I’d wonder the same things—who are these people, and what can I tell about them just from their stuff? It was sometimes gross, always interesting.
This was an easy listen during my commute. I did get a little confused about the timeline at points, but that could have just been me not following closely enough.
I’ve read some of the other reviews, and maybe we need to return to the idea that we listen and we don’t judge. I’ll admit, I also wondered why she kept cleaning houses instead of trying something different. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. That kind of work is flexible, and childcare is incredibly expensive, even with a voucher. If she earned even a little more money, she could lose some of the benefits that were helping her stay afloat. And that extra income would likely just go toward covering the higher costs. It can be incredibly hard to break out of poverty, and being poor is expensive.
I really enjoyed the small glimpses into her clients’ lives. Those moments felt relatable and so human. I think I’d wonder the same things—who are these people, and what can I tell about them just from their stuff? It was sometimes gross, always interesting.
This was an easy listen during my commute. I did get a little confused about the timeline at points, but that could have just been me not following closely enough.