Maid

Archival Summary & Scope

*Maid*, a *New York Times* bestselling memoir and inspiration for the Netflix limited series, offers Stephanie Land's emotionally raw, unflinching account of class and poverty in America. When an unplanned pregnancy derailed her college dreams, Land became a single mother, navigating the dehumanizing reality of scraping by as a housekeeper. As a "nameless ghost" in the homes of the wealthy, she observed their lives while grappling with food stamps, inadequate government assistance, and the pervasive stigmas of the working poor. Driven to provide a better life for her daughter, Land cleaned by day and wrote/studied by night, exposing untold truths and challenging the myth of the American Dream. This powerful story is a testament to resilience and a stark reminder of the dignity of all work. "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." — Barack Obama.