I have been wanting to read this for awhile, especially after Netflix released a show inspired by the book. I want to start off by recommending this book to anyone who thinks wealth and security are the guaranteed products of hard work, to those people who think that not every job deserves a livable wage, or are comfortable with people working 2-3 jobs just to barely get by. This is the story of one woman's daily struggle to keep herself and her daughter sheltered, fed, and alive. It is a raw look at how our social safety nets don't protect everyone, and how our assistance programs limit single mothers' ability to ever rise out of poverty. This book brought a lot of anxiety out of me, of the feelings of fear and inadequacy when I was younger, trying to make it working and going to school, thankful I had parents who could help me with rent so I at least had a roof over my head. Thinking of the times my car broke down or needed new brakes and I was in-between paychecks, living in an area with inadequate public transport, calling my parents crying and them graciously helping me. Thinking, what if I didn't have them? What if I also had a small child to take care of? Things happen outside of our control every day, that aren't our fault, yet there is so much stigma around needing help just to get out of a bad situation. This book really helps you to center yourself and wonder how far away you are from poverty, if you aren't already there. Is it your car breaking down once? An Emergency Room or Ambulance bill? All of sudden losing the only childcare you are able to afford? At one point the author stated that we are taught to always put money aside to save for a rainy day, but what do you do when every day is a rainy day? I took the time to read through some of the reviews on Goodreads and was disheartened by some people's responses. Their attitude about the choices Land made in her life, their criticism of a life and situation they, themselves, have never been in. It shows how classist many Americans are, when you believe that people in poverty should always be working, should never get rest or do fun things, should never splurge on a restaurant meal, jewelry, or a fun trip. That people in poverty shouldn't be allowed to buy steak with ebt or get discounts on housing and other services. It's appalling to me that other people actually believe that people in poverty deserve to live miserable lives and that "if they only worked harder" they wouldn't be in their situation.