![Amazon prime logo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/marketing/prime/new_prime_logo_RGB_blue._CB426090081_.png)
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Buy new:
-50% $14.05$14.05
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Anti-Social Seller Club
Save with Used - Very Good
$11.44$11.44
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: PaddyMacBooks
Learn more
1.27 mi | ASHBURN 20147
![Kindle app logo image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/app/kindle-app-logo._CB668847749_.png)
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education Hardcover – November 7, 2023
![iphone with kindle app](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/dp/nfcx/PersistentWidget-Ruby-Large._CB485955431_.png)
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Purchase options and add-ons
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
A New York Times Most Anticipated Books of Fall
From the New York Times bestselling author who inspired the hit Netflix series about a struggling mother barely making ends meet as a housecleaner, a “raw and inspiring” (People) memoir about college, motherhood, poverty, and life after Maid.
When Stephanie Land set out to write her memoir Maid, she never could have imagined what was to come. Handpicked by President Barack Obama as one of the best books of 2019, he called it an “unflinching look at America’s class divide…and a reminder of the dignity of all work.” Later, it was adapted into the hit Netflix series Maid, which was viewed by sixty-seven million households and was Netflix’s fourth most-watched show in 2021, garnering three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Stephanie’s escape out of poverty and abuse in search of a better life inspired millions.
Maid was a story about a housecleaner, but it was also a story about a woman with a dream. In Class, Land takes us with her as she finishes college and pursues her writing career. Facing barriers at every turn including a byzantine loan system, food insecurity, the judgments of professors and fellow students who didn’t understand the demands of attending college while under the poverty line—Land finds a way to survive once again, finally graduating in her mid-thirties.
Class paints an intimate and heartbreaking portrait of motherhood as it converges and often conflicts with personal desire and professional ambition. Who has the right to create art? Who has the right to go to college? And what kind of work is valued in our culture? In clear, candid, and moving prose, Class grapples with these questions, offering a searing indictment of America’s educational system and an inspiring testimony of a mother’s triumph against all odds.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAtria/One Signal Publishers
- Publication dateNovember 7, 2023
- Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101982151390
- ISBN-13978-1982151393
Frequently bought together
![Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71VJfcWLMsL._AC_UL116_SR116,116_.jpg)
Similar items that may ship from close to you
- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to SurvivePaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Aug 16
- Hang the Moon: A NovelPaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Aug 16
- Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to BeHardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Aug 16
- Let Us Descend: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club 2023)HardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Aug 16
- The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel (Molly the Maid)HardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Aug 16
From the Publisher
![Class](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/54c15e15-bd0e-4462-b954-41b103bd1b97.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.png)
![Class](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/923b47d7-44c6-413f-91ab-3c5678966d85.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.png)
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/1d3e2c24-b92b-4af5-bcce-003fd8f05687.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.png)
|
|
|
---|---|---|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
—Good Morning America (November Book Club Pick)
“Intimate, utterly revealing ….Land bares her soul and psyche, offering readers a look at her inner life with excruciating honesty.”
—New York Times
"Raw and inspiring."
—People
"Maid set the bar incredibly high for Stephanie Land, opening up a whole discourse on working conditions and the lives of those with the chips stacked against them. Class sees that bar, and raises it. Weaving together themes of motherhood and ambition, it is deeply personal, universally felt and profoundly moving."
—B&N Reads
"In her trademark raw, vulnerable writing style, she interrogates the idea of money and privilege, parenthood and poverty: should entry to the college classroom only be for those of a certain socioeconomic class? This book will open your eyes, challenge your preconceived notions, and ultimately leave you rooting for Land, and for every person who dares to dream when the odds are stacked against them."
—Amazon, Best Books of November 2023
"Whenever I read Land, I’m filled with the cathartic release that comes from a skilled writer pointing a finger at the small hypocrisies of life."
—Marie Claire, Best Books of 2023
“Land is a great writer, particularly when conveying the relentless nature of poverty and the systems that work against women, especially….this book will serve as quite the mirror for the inherent biases many people hold about who can do what and why.”
—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist
"Land’s English degree didn’t provide a golden ticket out of poverty....but it gave her pride and dignity."
—New York Post
“Captivating….Eye-opening and heartrending, [CLASS] will provide succor for readers who’ve faced similar hardships and essential education for anyone who hasn’t. It’s another stirring personal history from one of the foremost chroniclers of 21st-century economic anxiety.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A beautiful memoir that's an honest portrayal [of] persistence and life and writing and children. Stephanie Land did the work, and it shows."
—Neil Gaiman
“An illuminating portrait of a part of the higher education experience that is often ignored…a powerful read.”
—Kirkus
“An incredible and heart-wrenching memoir that ruminates on higher education, class, and single motherhood….as infuriating as it is inspiring, and it should be considered required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in narratives of wealth and work, the lived experience of prejudicial U.S. safety net systems, or social justice.”
—Shelf Awareness
“A riveting new memoir about life as a single mother trying to finish her college education and build a writing career after escaping poverty and abuse. Land crafts a poignant and eye-opening story about a failing educational system and the barriers and gatekeeping she faced both personally and professionally on the way to fulfilling her dreams.”
—BookBub
Select Praise for Maid:
"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."
—President Barack Obama, "Obama's 2019 Summer Reading List"
"More than any book in recent memory, Land nails the sheer terror that comes with being poor, the exhausting vigilance of knowing that any misstep or twist of fate will push you deeper into the hole."
—The Boston Globe
"Stephanie Land's memoir [Maid] is a bracing one."
—The Atlantic
"An eye-opening journey into the lives of the working poor."
—People, Perfect for Your Book Club
"The particulars of Land's struggle are sobering, but it's the impression of precariousness that is most memorable."
—The New Yorker
"[Land's] book has the needed quality of reversing the direction of the gaze. Some people who employ domestic labor will read her account. Will they see themselves in her descriptions of her clients? Will they offer their employees the meager respect Land fantasizes about? Land survived the hardship of her years as a maid, her body exhausted and her brain filled with bleak arithmetic, to offer her testimony. It's worth listening to."
—New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Atria/One Signal Publishers (November 7, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1982151390
- ISBN-13 : 978-1982151393
- Item Weight : 1.06 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #62,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73 in Sociology of Class
- #729 in Women's Biographies
- #2,088 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Stephanie Land](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/vmkojbrcrh12koh0ss2bmtqhlo._SY600_.jpg)
Stephanie Land is an author and public speaker. Her memoir, "MAID: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive," which debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada, been published in 30 languages, and inspired the Netflix series MAID, which remains one of the platform's most-watched limited series of all time. Her recent memoir "CLASS: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education" was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and is both the sequel and origin story of MAID. Her work focuses on social and economic justice, domestic violence, and parenting under the poverty line, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and many other outlets. Land regularly speaks at colleges and organizations all over the country, and serves as an Arts & Entertainment Ambassador for the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book a great read with an emotional rollercoaster. They praise the writing style as excellent and the content as genuine, honest, and heartfelt.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book a great read.
"...It’s such an uncomfortable book. But prickliness makes for a good read. I felt the same way when I watched “Fleabag.” Hated it...." Read more
"...The sex scenes distract from her central message. Very interesting reading." Read more
"...I’ve watched Maid (the series) three times. It’s so good." Read more
"This book is just incredible...." Read more
Customers find the book an emotional roller coaster, inspiring, and amazing. They also advocate for the book.
"...stops writing... I am rooting for her as she is genuine, honest, and heartfelt !" Read more
"...Class paints an intimate and heartbreaking portrait of motherhood as it converges and often conflicts with personal desire and professional ambition...." Read more
"Love love loved. Very inspiring. Can’t wait for the next book after Maid and Class." Read more
"One of the most honest memoirs I have ever read. Such an emotional roller coaster. Burn book to the extreme...." Read more
Customers find the writing style excellent and appreciate learning about the many hardships women and children face.
"...Stephanie is an immensely talented writer and the books provided the raw reality that I could much more identify with than the series...." Read more
"Land is a fantastic writer. I actually liked this one more than 'Maid'." Read more
"...In clear, candid, and moving prose, Class grapples with these questions, offering a searing indictment of America’s educational system and an..." Read more
"I loved the descriptive phrases and the well rounded out situations...." Read more
Customers find the content genuine, honest, and heartfelt.
"...Stephanie is an immensely talented writer and the books provided the raw reality that I could much more identify with than the series...." Read more
"...And what kind of work is valued in our culture? In clear, candid, and moving prose, Class grapples with these questions, offering a searing..." Read more
"One of the most honest memoirs I have ever read. Such an emotional roller coaster. Burn book to the extreme...." Read more
"...The raw honesty and view into the author's personal life and the perspective on the greater impact in the world...." Read more
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Maid was a story about a housecleaner, but it was also a story about a woman with a dream. In Class, Land takes us with her as she finishes college and pursues her writing career. Facing barriers at every turn including a byzantine loan system, not having enough money for food, navigating the judgments of professors and fellow students who didn’t understand the demands of attending college while under the poverty line—Land finds a way to survive once again, finally graduating in her mid-thirties.
Class paints an intimate and heartbreaking portrait of motherhood as it converges and often conflicts with personal desire and professional ambition. Who has the right to create art? Who has the right to go to college? And what kind of work is valued in our culture? In clear, candid, and moving prose, Class grapples with these questions, offering a searing indictment of America’s educational system and an inspiring testimony of a mother’s triumph against all odds.
My Thoughts:
In Class, I was again caught up in Land’s personal journey, which I really enjoyed in Maid. Now we see how her path takes her where others are sometimes forced to go.
I was rooting for her all the way as she finished college and continued to pursue her writing career. As a mother, she continued to struggle, but I was so happy that she found her way to success. A 5 star read.
It’s such an uncomfortable book. But prickliness makes for a good read. I felt the same way when I watched “Fleabag.” Hated it. But kept watching and realized I didn’t really hate it. I just wasn’t used to an imperfect female protagonist. And Land is imperfect. But she’s methodical in cataloging all of the flaws in herself and in this system of white supremacy and patriarchy we’ve created as a society. She also celebrates her victories in small quiet ways.
Her battle to get into grad school is heartbreaking. But wow! The cattiness of some of the professors left me gobsmacked. Maybe if you’ve only written one book no one has ever read, should you really be directing a creative writing program?
Land’s gotta write another book about her quests. I’m hooked no matter how flawed this protagonist is. The world needs more stories from the female gaze.
While Land’s dedication to getting her education against difficult odds was admirable, her judgment on display in Class was not. A impoverished single mother whose child is underweight from food insecurity has little claim to victimhood when her decision to have another child (whose father’s identity among her partying partners is a multiple choice question) is challenged.
Land admitted that she had no evidence that her situation would turn out well for her or her children. Yet she went ballistic over a friend’s questioning whether sufficient thought had been given to the consequences of her actions. In Land’s view, the friend couldn’t possibly be legitimately concerned over whether she could care for another child (despite evidence that Land was barely able to care for her existing daughter). Nope, the friend was clearly judging Land for the sole purpose of feeling superior to a poor person. So, to defend her “right” to make even objectively awful decisions, Land dropped the otherwise “always supportive” friend like a hot potato.
What she didn’t drop was her conviction that others would be obligated to pick up the slack without conditions when she found herself unable to feed or safely house her children. By the time her next book is published, Land will hopefully have grown up or at least recaptured some of the maturity she showed in Maid. In the meantime, Class will live in my DNF pile.
Top reviews from other countries
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
Land’s story shows that those moments where it seems like we’ve failed can be the seeds for huge success that we can’t even imagine. It’s a must-read for anyone who feels like life is beating them down.
![](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
Some people think that this book is whiny, which I agree to some degree. I think some choices related to money are slightly questionable in my opinion. However, I think you shouldn't expect anyone to make the same choice as you do. Your norm might not be the other person's norm.
![](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
![](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)