“Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive” is a memoir of the time writer Stephanie Land spent as a housecleaner in Washington State, barely eking out a living in exchange for backbreaking work.
Land’s story is an important one, giving readers a glimpse of the true physical, mental and emotional strain of living in poverty. Land is a gifted writer and storyteller, and there are many poignant moments in the book — like when a private client pays her $100 in cash and she’s joyfully able to buy her daughter a Happy Meal. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring, and gives a voice to so many millions of people fighting the same battles, unable to break free from the hamster wheel of poverty.
I highly recommend this to everyone, from those who’ve been there to those who don’t have a clue about the precarious balance so many “invisible” workers like Land must strike every day just to continue to exist.
“Maid” will be released on Jan. 22.
Thank you to Hachette Books for providing an advanced reader copy of “Maid.” Opinions are my own.