A Review, by guest contributor Jacqueline Wallace, member of the Zonta Club of Oswego.
Stephanie Land's 2020 New York Times best seller autobiography "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive," provides a voice to many who are trying to find their way while struggling below the poverty line.
The book showcases Land's first-hand experiences of working hard as a single mom in the service industry for little pay while navigating the system and surviving domestic violence.
Members of the Zonta Club of Oswego hosted "Maid Book Club: Impact & Resources in our Local Community" with OCO Inc's Services to Aid Families on December 9 as part of Zonta's 16 Days of Activism. The event was facilitated by professionals from OCO, Inc.'s Services to Aid Families
Many domestic violence agencies, such as Oswego's OCO inc. Sevices to Aid Families, have hosted discussions on Land's book as a way to shed light on domestic violence and services available for survivors and their families.
The book even caught the eye of former President Barack Obama, and appeared on his Summer Reading List. He had this to say about it, "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."
Netflix has even launched seven-part series adapted from Stephanie Land's bestselling memoir. While Maid is based on Land's experiences, it's reminiscent of many people's stories, which the series acknowledges with other characters Alex meets. It’s no surprise that Land’s modest, straightforward book, with its nuts-and-bolts account of the housecleaning work she took on to support herself and her daughter, has been radically transformed in the Netflix series— only the broadest outlines of her story, along with the usual smattering of arresting or convenient details, have been retained.
Members of the Zonta Club of Oswego hosted "Maid Book Club: Impact & Resources in our Local Community" with OCO Inc's Services to Aid Families on December 9 as part of Zonta's 16 Days of Activism. The event was facilitated by professionals from OCO, Inc.'s Services to Aid Families
