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. 

I just finished Maid, a memoir by Stephanie Land, and WOW did it open my eyes 👀 
 Stephanie, a single mom, with no family to turn to or trust, shares her story of living paycheck-to-paycheck to just get by in a world that repeatedly stomps on poor people.
 Have you ever heard anyone criticize a welfare recipient for "taking advantage of the system", or "taking government handouts" or "not contributing to society" or wait, this one makes me extra-cringey, "using my tax money for their benefit "??? Truth is, people say and think these critical things all the time.
 Maid is an honest reminder that statements like those are problematic, also wildly unhelpful and unsupportive. And Stephanie Land is an honest writer in telling us why. As someone who has worked her ass off in a low-paying profession, Stephanie tells her stories of how trying to feed her daughter Mia a healthy, well-balanced diet using food stamps and WIC benefits was virtually impossible. They relied on Medicaid to help treat her daughter's health concerns. But her health concerns were exacerbated by the black mold lurking in their apartment, which was the only affordable living option Stephanie could find. Never mind that the doctors all told her how illegal it was of her landlord to allow those living conditions to exist. Stephanie couldn't afford to take legal action, and she couldn't afford to move out. She could never afford {fill in the blank} or {fill in another blank, and another...}. Alternately, if she got too good at her minimum-wage-paying job, and therefore took on more work, cleaning more client's homes, then she made too much money and didn't qualify for hundreds of dollars of government assistance that they needed to survive. She also had to consider the costs of childcare in taking on work. It's a vicious cycle Stephanie and Mia fought with, and lived through for years.
 Their story enhanced my perspective, and gave me cause to reflect...
 I appreciated how Stephanie recognized that as a white woman seeking government assistance, her opportunities were drastically different than those of her black, brown and disabled neighbors who were also seeking assistance. 
 And I loved how much she shared about motherhood. How her desire to protect and love her little girl shone through with the sacrifices she made.
 This book gets all the stars from me. I can't wait to watch the series on Netflix that is based on Stephanie's book!
 I recommend listening to this while doing your least favorite chores and silently repeating to yourself, "I am grateful for all these clothes we have." "I am grateful for the food that sat on these dishes." "I am grateful for running water, for my electricity, and for my heat." Because too many people don't have those luxuries.

So good!!

 Maid is a memoir by Stephanie Land about her time as a single mom and living on welfare. Because times are tough, Stephanie starts working as a maid. She writes of how she gave each house a name, as each house has a personality as big as its owners do. She writes about taking care of her little girl, Mia, as well as the ups and downs of dealing with her ex and her extended family. She enrolls in school online to major in English and does so to get herself and Mia on their feet again. 

With 15% of the US population receiving food stamps and 35% of the US population receiving some kind of government assistance, that period of Stephanie’s life is a life that many Americans are still living in. 

This was a touching, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking tale of the flaws of America’s welfare system, the stigma that comes with being a part of that system and the personal hurtles that Land had to overcome both personally and financially.