There was no authentic representation of my life anywhere. Stephanie Land is the author of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mothers Will to Survive, out in January 2019, Theres love, youll say, but is there any real point in getting married these days? I am not an angry person, I try to avoid it as much as possible, but the more I spoke in public speaking events, not only the book tour audiences but the public speaking audiences, they were mainly White people who maybe had house cleaners of their own. ", My greatest honor: I wrote a book that touched people living in poverty, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Return of Empathy When America Needs It Most, "I Left Poverty After Writing 'Maid.' It's also because we assign dignity to the type of jobs people do. I really felt like the only time I had any value as a human being was when I was actively working. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. There were a lot of memes going around at the time about how people should be drug-tested for welfare, and a lot of my friends would post on Facebook and social media some type of hatred for people on food stamps. Although Stephanie Land spent several years living below the poverty line in her late twenties as a single mother, the Maid true story reveals that she had actually grown up in a middle-class family. Stephanie Land can tell them otherwise and, unlike most authors who write about poverty, speaks from personaland recentexperience. Land became unexpectedly pregnant while dating her ex-boyfriend. She expanded her 2015Vox article, titled "I spent 2 years cleaning houses. It has also changed how we act in real life. The couple first met in the year 2018 and began their relationship just a few months later. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. First published on October 29, 2021 / 5:23 PM. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Netflix's miniseries Maid was inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir called Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive; here's how it compares to the book.In the TV show, young mother Alex Russell (Margaret Qualley) flees in the night with her daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) from her abusive ex-boyfriend Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson). 02:07 - Source: CNN. He made me feel like it was my fault that he hurt me. It was an abusive relationship. National Domestic Violence Hotline received more calls in the month after Maid premiere than any other month in its entire 25-year history. On a wicker shelf sat two clay boxes. 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Earlier this summer, after I started admitting in social media posts that Id chosen to be a single mom again, a few local women reached out to me, all saying some variation of I was so worried about you!. Here are some of the biggest differences between the Netflix series and the memoir: Alex came from a middle-class upbringing. But in Land's real life, these were everyday occurrences. It was also a huge relief to see how good it was and how authentic it was. In real-life, Land also attended college while continuing to clean houses and take care of her kid, Story. The actress opens up about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel. She had housing assistance, Medicaid, a Pell Grant for college tuition, LIHEAP for help with utilities, WIC checks for supplemental nutrition for new mothers and children, child care grants, and was enrolled in the SNAP program for food stamps. She was also able to take out the maximum amount of student loans to make ends meet, which gave her more of a cushion, and eventually, helped her move to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. Why do you think your story resonated so strongly with readers at that time, and why do you think it continues to entice audiences? "[12], After six years of cleaning in Washington and Montana, she was eventually able to use student loans and Pell grants to move to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English and creative writing from the University of Montana in May 2014. [8][9] Although she did not grow up in poverty, she spent the next several years living below the poverty line and relied on several welfare programs to cover necessary expenses; this later inspired her writing on issues of poverty and public policy. During a severe winter storm, one neighbor even reached out on Facebook to offer her a sled for her daughter to play with. We had our own place in this old house next to downtown and we'd go for walks to the park and the river. The homeless shelter that Land and her daughter lived in for a short period of time came with a four-page list of rules, including no visitors. Though we do get a quick flash of a sign of rules for transitional housing, these kinds of regulations for being low income are not covered in Maid. Stephanie Land and her husband Tim Faust tied the knot in the year 2019 at an intimate wedding. But for non-profits, who had the ability to reach others in their communities and still chose to fly me out, I basically tell them it shouldn't be me up here. They asked me, again, to describe what happened this time for a recorded statement and I physically shook, remembering the dark room, being pressed into the bed, and his face. In Stephanie Land's book Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, which inspired the series, Land is focused on the struggle to persevere in a system built for failure. When the judge finally granted this, not even four months after Id been strangled, he said it was against his own better judgment. Her mother, though not exactly "Mother of the Year" material, was the first in their family to go to college and earn a masters degree. There is strength in community. Then he called to say he'd moved to Portland and had a new job which meant regular paychecks. I lie there, waiting for her body to start twitching, waiting for that final sigh, before I can slowly slide my arm out from under her. Together they have four children. In my New York Times bestselling memoir MAID, I tell my story of juggling several housecleaning clients while working my way through college as a single mother. [23][24] According to Netflix, the show will likely reach 67 million households in its first four weeks, surpassing the record set by The Queens Gambit, which was watched by 62 million subscribers. In the series, Alex (Margaret Qualley) lives in the similar-looking fictional town of Port Hampstead. Only this time around, Land's character is named Alex, and her ex is named Sean (Nick Robinson) instead of Jaime. Stocking up on junk and fast food is usually the quickest and cheapest option available for those in poverty, but it is common knowledge that healthier diets cost significantly more than unhealthy diets. Netflix's latest hit drama, Maid, has become a favorite among fans for its candid and watchable depiction of a mother fighting to take care of her daughter.Based on Stephanie Land's 2019 memoir . [12] The series starred Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell and Nick Robinson. My desire for that happy ending especially as a woman whod been a single mom for almost a decade was a rushing current too strong to fight. After a few failed attempts and adventures, it finds a piece that fits. The 2023 SAG Awards Will Be Streaming-Only For The First Time Ever, 'The Umbrella Academy' Season 4 Has Added "A Trifecta Of Actor Greatness", Everything To Know About 'Outer Banks' Season 4, The 'Outer Banks' Season 3 Ending Sets Up A New Treasure-Hunting Adventure, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. They forget people aren't actually being paid a living wage. It belonged to an elderly gentleman who was often in the hospital. Land said that she realized that the job wasn't exactly the best fit for her and that she could be an advocate through her writing. People have blamed my tumble into poverty on an unexpected pregnancy. One afternoon, a few weeks before I finally told him to leave, we were all in the backyard together. On that line is a circle with a triangle-shaped chunk thats absent from it. Tell me about the experience of watching your story come to life? She said that while she was worried about the situation she'd be bringing her own child into, she always wanted her daughter Mia. I smiled at her, looked over at him, and went inside the house to cry. But it starts rolling too fast. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! While the waterfront community of Port Townsend from the memoir is hard to distinguish from its fictional counterpart Port Hampstead in the series, other characters and locations were changed more significantly. Dont you miss him? she would ask me, almost desperately. They recreated a lot of those and one of those things was the ponies. But Poverty Never Left Me", Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, "The Brutal Economy of Cleaning Other People's Messes, for $9 an Hour", "Maid's Tell-All Reveals Dirty Secrets of America's Middle Class". I also started to get really angry. The location was also changed. Like in the show, Land's boyfriend, whose name in the memoir is Jamie, was upset with her decision to keep the baby. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Someone like a neighbor. This allows landlords to neglect the safety standards in order to keep Section 8 people away. Most of the authors relationships had faded because of the embarrassment and judgment of her daily life. The answer isnt quite cut and dry. She seems to live in a constant state of hustle-and-bustle, meeting people through work and assistance programs. [2] Land and her eldest daughter occasionally lived in homeless shelters, transitional housing and a camper in a driveway, before securing an apartment in low-income housing. As stated in the Netflix Maid series, the true story confirms that an unplanned pregnancy postponed Land's plans to go to college at the University of Montana and obtain a degree in creative writing. What have you learned since you wrote your book? Then Mia turned to me with this smile and said: You sure know how to pick the good ones. She was referring to her stepdad, a man she witnessed hurting me twice in one evening. Land has remarried and lives with her husband, Tim Faust,. This is where she learned about the Womens Independence Scholarship Program, a scholarship specifically for survivors of domestic violence, which she received $3,000 through. I no longer talked to close friends about the emotional abuse that went on at home, since admission would require action, so I didnt really talk to anyone. How have you grown both as a mother and your own person? Like Margaret Qualley's character in the Netflix series, she at first rejected the idea. The rest of Lands relatives and her relationships with them have been changed for TV as well. When we moved to Montana, Jamie stopped calling Mia for months. CBS News/Stephanie Land, Netflix Before her memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive" was even an idea, Stephanie Land was a single mother who had escaped an abusive. Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Stephanie Land (born September 1978) is an American writer and public speaker. In the real story, none of this happens. Then I Hired a Maid. One contained the ashes of his wife and the other their eldest son. She received messages full of encouragement and love; some even sent her money. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. She began journaling everything she witnessed, which turned into a small piece, then a viral essay, and eventually, a bestselling memoir. Today, she is happily married, having tied the knot with Tim Faust in 2019. What I saw makes me never want to be rich. VPN to ZTNA. Netflixs Maid isnt a one-to-one recreation of the source material, but that doesnt mean it isnt true to Lands experiences living in poverty. Land has remarried and lives with her husband, Tim Faust, and their blended family in Missoula, Montana. She writes, "His initial tenderness in coaxing me to change the pregnancy abruptly changed when I told him I would not be doing that. And that was the first time I cried watching the show. But I at least hoped that if they were listening to me they would start listening to others and it would open doors for more marginalized people to talk about their lives. There was a part of me that knew why they were listening. As recalled in the book, We were there to witness and share the gospel with them. She then moved to Missoula and started to attend the University of Montana.When Land first started at the University of Montana, she figured she'd go for a sociology degree so she could graduate and have job stability. She reaches up to dig her hand into my armpit, and I let her, because its something shes done practically since birth. Like in the Netflix Maid series, there were strict rules, including no visitors, no alcohol, and there were routine drug tests. My oldest, Mia, and I have taken to watching a couple of my favorite movies from the 1980s when were out traveling alone together. Id say, Jesus loves you though one man smiles at me and said, He seems to love you a little more. Land was under the impression that she would always be safe; she never questioned it until it was too late. When I finally asked him to leave, it was in an almost primal push for survival. 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