Maid- Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
Product details
Web ID: 16835599A Remarkable Story of Determination
I bought this book to read for my English class and am so glad that I did. The non-fiction book, MAID, by Stephanie Land is a story of a single mom who did whatever she could to provide a life for herself and her daughter. It's a story about her struggles with barely getting by, forgotten dreams of the life she wanted and how she would not stop trying for her and her daughter. It is also a story of how cruel and judgmental in the world can be and how much of an effect that can have on how you see yourself. It is an inspiring story of how working hard and keeping focus on what is important can lead to a better life. I was required to read this book and learned a lot from it. The author's style drew me in and left me wanting to read more and learn more about her life. I could feel her emotion: the good, the bad and the ugly and even felt happy and sad at times. She described things in detail so you could picture exactly what she was feeling. The thing that stuck with me the most is how hard Ms. Land was trying and yet how cruel people, even those closest to her, were. She only wanted to be seen but the world and those she ran in to throughout the book were harsh and judgmental. Ninety percent of the book is about how she fought with everything she had to get ahead and have a better life. I was left wanting to know more about how things worked out with her daughter, her daughter's dad, and her estranged family. She fought so hard and we only got a brief moment of what all the hard work, determination and tears led to. By reading MAID, I realized it is no ok to judge the less fortunate or those doing jobs that people generally don't want to do, like cleaning other people's houses. Everyone is fighting to survive and get ahead and some have a harder time. I don't know their story or struggles and should never judge. The world needs all kinds of people and people willing to sacrifice for a better life. MAID is a good lesson on fighting to get what you want, never giving up on your dreams, and how damaging judging others can be. Sometimes, a smile goes a long way. Overall rating is 4 stars. It is a good book, easy to read, relatable, captures the attention of the reader and has valuable life lessons.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Honest review
In the memoir Maid by Stephanie Land, the author narrates what her life was like as a single mom struggling to overcome poverty, mental health, and bad relationships all while trying to go to school and support her daughter. In the book it talks about all the government programs she had to apply for and how hard it was to find housing with such little money. I really liked how descriptive she was throughout the book because it allows the reader to feel like they are there with her and it helped bring depth to a lot of the characters. On the other hand her transitions from different events happening throughout the book could have had better transitions, at times it just felt a little abrupt. This book really helped to open my eyes wider about what a lot of people have to endure and how little help they get with all of it. I recommend picking up this book if you have lived a similar life or if you want to know the truth behind the Netflix series(they are very different).
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Maid
This book is about a young, single mother overcoming the hardships of poverty and mental struggles by working hard. This memoir shines light on very real living situations around the world. I enjoyed the rawness and unapologetic behavior of Land and how she reminds the reader that it’s okay to not be okay. Land highlighted how being sad but overbooking yourself to block out those feelings is relatable and common. On the other hand I didn’t like the way she handled some of the transitions between pages, and she used mild language. The book changed my perspective in a way that I had never read a book where someone truly explained what it was like to truly be in poverty. Honestly I’d recommend it to anyone that wants to feel better about their life. I would give it a 4 out of 5, because although I thought it was good I did have to read it for class.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Promising but frustrating
You want to root for her but the further you get into her story, the more you see her personality disorder. She claims victimhood in everything while neglecting her child, dismissing her friends help and sabotaging everything. She’s a good writer but her narrative of her story is frustrating because lack of insight.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Important topic, insights
There was a time when my incubated ideology would have forced me to reject the authenticity of this book’s premise. I would have blamed the single parent for the predicament she “brought on herself” through her “poor choices.” I would have been the person saying “You’re welcome” to her in the grocery checkout line. But then life happened to me; I saw and experienced many of the same types of things that she lived through. And so now I believe her because I have seen. Blessed are those who believe without having been forced to see.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable until ..
Honestly, she should have researched cleaning products. Comet has bleach. There is no way she would have lived to write this “memoir” had she rinsed comet with vinegar. One small error like that can throw credibility.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Book and Netflix show are very different...
I read this eye-opening memoir back in early October on the heels of watching the award-winning Netflix series. Booksparks was kind enough to include me in their fabulous pre-screening, after which we were able to watch a live conversation between the author, Stephanie Land, the producers, and the lead actress Margaret Qualley. In an unusual departure from my norm, I actually watched the show before I read the book... don't @ me for breaking this unwritten bookworm rule, but man was the show AMAZING!!! I highly recommend it for a Netflix binge! It gave me great empathy for women who are victims of domestic violence and opened my eyes to the harsh realities that these women face in trying to work their way out of their situations. Of course, the incredible Netflix series could not have been possible without this heartbreaking, yet redemptive memoir by Stephanie Land. It is an enlightening look into the world of the working poor, and the ways in which society undermines their progress at every turn. On that note, I should mention that the book and Netflix series are quite different.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Understand the praise, however my empathy waned...
I completely understand the praise for the book, especially from those who have never been poor. It is enlightening (to that audience), honest, authentic. Her style of writing is exceptional to all audiences. She is talented and has a story that should be heard. I think the some of the lower ratings is from those who have struggled just as hard to avoid living in that type of poverty. To understand that you never leave poverty without help. Whether it is the government assistance, the lending of a car, the gift of an air conditioner. Resent the poverty, resent the system that maintains it instead of truly lifting out, but the resentment of the people feels contemptuous. There is never a sense of chagrin or self realization until maybe the accident which she quickly absolves herself of in the next moment. She is quick to recognize unfair judgement of herself, her daughter and her untenable circumstances, but not in herself. She never discusses (I am still a few pages from the end, having a hard time finishing, she's working on the college loan) what she's learned, what she can teach, regrets, thanks. Just as people dehumanize the invisible maid she dehumanizes many she introduced in the story. So the book leaves you uncomfortable on a few levels. One the experience in a destructively flawed system and society of a single mother in poverty in this country - one with obvious talent, diligence and intelligence. But also so un-empathetic at times you struggle to maintain your own.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com