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.