4.5 stars. I listened to the audiobook!

Stephanie Land's memoir about her early struggles to make a life for her and her daughter was a challenging and conflicting read for me. This story is just a microcosm of the myriad of challenges that those affected by poverty feel on a daily basis. Lack of significant and consistent work combined with the lack of affordable housing is a potentially deadly combination. All of this combined with an unsupportive family structure will perpetuate challenges beyond one's control. I admire Stephanie's tenacity to use everything at her disposal to provide her family with a better life even when it was significantly challenging.

I have a hard time making judgements on other's decision making because there are so many factors at play. As a parent though, I noticed a tendency for Land to overlay her own feelings/emotions on her daughter. Likely a normal approach to trauma, it really assumed a lot about how a <3 year old processes the world around her. Again, without knowing the entirety of the situation, I'm hesitant to make firm conclusions.

Overall, this is a good reminder that family is worth fighting for (regardless of the cost).

I don’t understand how many of these reviews claim Land to be “whining” throughout the book. I saw it as anything but. It’s a memoir; she tells her story. Simple as that. She lays the facts about what happened to her and how (yes, even acknowledging the fact she did grow up in a middle-class environment until it was ripped out from under her) she struggled to raise her daughter and keep the income as stable as she could. It surprises me, really, because it once again shows how disconnected society is on views of poor people. Land explains this in her book: poor people have this outside pressure to be perfect because if not, they’re labeled as “lazy” and whatnot. Many of the reviewers focused on the fact she splurged when she finally had money (which, what? After all you read through you’re upset Land finally treated herself? I.e. the idea that poor people can’t have nice things), or questioning her decisions on how to raise her daughter (I.e. “why did you even have her?”) instead of reflecting on how, a 28 year old had her reality stripped in a matter of months!! I don’t think I’ve ever written this long of a review, but it upset me on reading a few others. Yes, I do agree, I wanted to read a bit more about the grueling process of being a maid. (What other clients did you have?). But I understood: this is Land’s story, not a nonfiction 500 page book about poverty.

An incredible story. First nonfiction I’ve read in a while, and I couldn’t put it down.