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I go in waves with audiobooks, but when I was in California last month, I was really into them again.
My latest listen was to “Maid” by Stephanie Land.
I’d heard so much about this book, but wasn’t immediately convinced. But, it was available immediately at the library, and it had great reviews.
I also saw it was good for readers who liked “Nickel and Dimed” — which, I did!
“Maid” tells the first account of work in the service industry. Author Stephanie Land had big dreams of going to college and working as a writer. That is, until she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant.
She became a single mom, started working as a housekeeper for upper-middle-class families, and was scraping by to pay bills and eat.
Although the work is gross and exhausting, Stephanie takes online classes and continues to work to get a college degree. She’s determined to make a better life for herself and her daughter.
Along the way, she shares detailed information about using food stamps and WIC coupons, government programs that hardly work, and being socially shamed for having to use all of the above.
Stephanie tells an honest story of life in poverty — a story we often hear about (and many make assumptions about) but don’t have to experience for ourselves.
This book was timely given how Stephanie’s life changed after an unexpected pregnancy. She talks about her efforts to co-parent and details of daily life when money is tough to come by.
I’ve read a few books that cover some of these same subjects, but I honestly can’t read enough. It’s easy to forget how hard people have it, and our laws and programs should be designed to actually help those who need it when they need it.
We can all learn so much from accounts like Stephanie’s, and I would definitely recommend this book!
What audiobooks are you listening to?
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The Bitter Lemon 