Maid : Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive (Hardcover)

from EmScape

Stephanie Land recounts her experiences as a cleaning lady and single mother. She works hard, but never seems to get ahead. She feels mostly invisible to the clients whose homes she tidies, though there are a few who are nice. The industry takes advantage of her and she's nearly powerless to prot...

from rivkat

Land writes beautifully about being trapped in low-wage jobs and the residue of an abusive relationship, with not a penny to spare or a day to give to, say, a child's illness without a further spiral. She's a sharp observer of the houses she cleans and the miseries and happinesses of the wealthy ...

from foggidawn

When pregnancy interrupts her goal of earning a degree in creative writing, Stephanie finds herself in a precarious financial position: homeless, with a 7-month-old. She pursues a variety of solutions: government aid, help from friends, and working very hard for very low pay. This memoir really s...

from dele2451

Recommended reading for everyone who has ever said (or thought about saying) "you're welcome" to a shopper using an EBT grocery card.

from mykl-s

I knew that cleaning was a hard kind of job with little pay, but after reading Land's book I realize even more just how very, very hard it can be.