3/5 stars. eBook. I borrowed Maid from the library, and I enjoyed the read, mostly. The author shares her life during a difficult time in which she is raising a child alone with absolutely no help from her family and very minimal help from friends. I found the story moving, but, in some parts, redundant. I know Stephanie Land made her writing debut of sorts writing about the stigmas of poverty and being a welfare recipient. The book is an extension of that, to me. She discusses the various social situations that made her feel like an outcast–encounters with judgmental people in the grocery store, people making assumptions about her life based on how she looks, etc.

I found the book relatable because I grew up in poverty with parents that did not really care to provide for their children. When I was old enough to work, I helped take care of my younger siblings, sometimes not knowing how I would get dinner on the table at night. You really must do the best you can, work a tremendous amount, and become mentally exhausted. “This wasn’t the life I wanted for us, but it was the one we had for now” really resonated with me that even though times are tough, time marches on and life changes.

I would recommend this book to others, with some warnings. It showcases the resilience of a mom trying to take care of her child, which is admirable. The story is redundant because the author constantly pines for things she does not have; maybe this was an issue for me because when I was in the thick of it, I was just trying to survive, not longing for the two-story houses and manicured landscapes of her clients’ homes, like the author does. It distracted from the story. She also never explained how she was 28 with no career or degree or anything like that. Most of her personal life was glazed over and I saw her recount how everyone in her life is the problem. No accountability for herself. Also, the whole time reading the book I was thinking you are working 25 hours a week. What kind of daycare are you sending your daughter to? Most are open until 5 or 6pm. She could have explored other career options: waitressing, office work, even temp jobs. It seems very strange that the only career option that worked was a maid. What bothered me the most was that she took out student loans so she could stop working and focus on school. This is so unfeasible. It made me upset that she used loan money for a vacation when so many people work, have children, and successfully completed school.