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

Author: Stephanie Land

From the moment it was released this book got a lot of attention. I was in the middle of reading Educated,  a book about a young girl breaking out of from her very conservative family to not only get an education, but a PhD from Cambridge  when I saw the review in the New York Times. Reading the review for “Maid” I conjured up an image of another young impoverished girl, this time with the added complication of being a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, working as a maid. There’s something about these stories that is compelling, because they are often written by human beings who have fought against insurmountable odds and made something out of themselves.

Stephanie’s descriptions are lucid and there is an authenticity that grips you throughout the novel. I felt like I was listening to a friend’s story about their life. Only this friend, has kept a journal and is able to clearly narrate the key events in her life.  On the flip side, there’s not that much interesting stuff that is happening. That is quite understandable given that she was dirt poor and trying desperately to provide for a stable environment in which she could bring up her daughter. While it was interesting to learn that maids do have the ability to learn a lot about the occupants, they are missing the most important piece which is interaction with their client. We get to read about Stephanie's speculations on the lifestyles of the folks who inhabited the houses she cleaned, which isn’t enlightening or interesting.

I definitely recommend the book to get a better understanding of the lives of the poor in the US. But don’t expect to be entertained in the process.