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New York Times best seller

"A single mother's personal, unflinching look at America's class divide, a description of the tightrope many families walk just to get by, and a reminder of the dignity of all work." (President Barack Obama, Obama's Summer Reading List) 

At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper-middle-class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets. Driven to carve out a better life for her family, she cleaned by day and took online classes by night, writing relentlessly as she worked toward earning a college degree. She wrote of the true stories that weren't being told: of living on food stamps and WIC coupons, of government programs that barely provided housing, of aloof government employees who shamed her for receiving what little assistance she did. Above all else, she wrote about pursuing the myth of the American dream from the poverty line, all the while slashing through deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor. 

Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not hers alone. It is an inspiring testament to the courage, determination, and ultimate strength of the human spirit. 

**"Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive" by Stephanie Land**

In her powerful memoir, "Maid," Stephanie Land shares her firsthand account of working as a maid in America. With unflinching honesty, she exposes the harsh realities of poverty, the struggles of single motherhood, and the daily indignities faced by those who work in the service industry.

Land's story begins as she flees an abusive relationship with her partner and finds herself homeless with her young daughter. Desperate for a way to support her family, she takes a job as a maid for a cleaning company. She quickly learns that the work is grueling, the pay is low, and the clients can be demanding and disrespectful.

Despite the challenges, Land perseveres. She works long hours, often cleaning multiple houses in a single day. She struggles to make ends meet, but she is determined to provide a better life for her daughter. She scrimps and saves, and eventually manages to save enough money to rent a small apartment.

"Maid" is a powerful indictment of the American welfare system and the way it fails to support single mothers. Land also shines a light on the often-overlooked contributions of domestic workers, who are essential to the functioning of our society.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the challenges faced by low-wage workers and the importance of fighting for economic justice.