Author Stephanie Land discusses class division and systemic poverty at First Year Common Reader event.

‘Story of survival’

Article by Amy Wolf Photos by Evan Krape October 18, 2023

Author Stephanie Land discusses class division and systemic poverty at First Year Common Reader event

At age 28, Stephanie Land’s dreams of attending college and becoming a writer were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Determined to provide her daughter the best life possible, Land worked as a housekeeper to make ends meet and took classes online to earn a college degree, writing about her experiences along the way. In 2019, she published her memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, sharing her story with millions of readers around the world.

“I didn't expect anyone to pay any attention to a single mother who lived in poverty and worked as a house cleaner and struggled to make ends meet,” Land said. “Because for me, it was a very isolating and invisible existence. And at times, I had no idea if I was going to make it out. Maid is my very personal story of survival.”

First-year students at the University of Delaware read Land’s book, which addresses important topics such as class division, domestic violence and systemic poverty, prior to arriving on campus this fall. Land discussed her book with UD community members on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Mitchell Hall.

During the discussion, Land encouraged those in the audience to put themselves in the shoes of someone living in poverty.

“For many, struggle is almost completely wrapped in shame. We distance ourselves from stories of hardship. As a defense mechanism, we distance ourselves from people who live in poverty, because poverty is a scary and vulnerable place to imagine,” she said. “Think of losing your home and your belongings, and moving your family into the car, and then think of that car breaking down. But this is the existence for the millions of Americans who currently face eviction, who line up at the food bank to feed their families, because the amount they get in food stamps is never enough.”

After paying bills, Land often had no more than $20 left for the whole month, which immediately went to purchasing items like soap, clothes and tampons.

“No matter how hard I worked, it never felt like it was enough or even that I was enough,” she said.

Land said she initially felt vulnerable sharing her story, but talking about personal experiences — and listening to the stories of others — is one of the most powerful ways to effect change.

“The only way that we're going to see change in this country is if we start lifting up the stories of people who have lived experience in the margins of society,” she said. “I hope that you all listening to my experiences begin to recognize the countless other stories that are just like it and still need to be told.”

Stephanie Land signs copies of her book, “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.”

A UD tradition administered by the First Year Seminar Program, the Common Reader provides first-year undergraduates an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation with fellow students and to begin to share in the intellectual life of the entire University community. In addition to the main speaker event, the Common Reader Program organizes exhibits and other cultural events around the theme of the book throughout the first semester.

“It's one big first-year book club,” UD Provost Laura Carlson said. “It provides a shared basis for conversations with each other and is an invitation into the intellectual life of the entire UD community. The whole point of the Common Reader is to share with each other your interpretations and thoughts.”

First-year student Kaleigh Barry said she thought the book was inspiring and that she particularly enjoyed discussing the book with her First Year Seminar class and hearing her classmates’ thoughts.

“I thought it was really inspiring how hard she worked,” Barry said. “I've been able to talk firsthand to people who have experienced homelessness, but it offered a new perspective — the single mother perspective. I thought it was really amazing to see how she never gave up.”

Lola Babalola, a first-year honors marketing major, said the book provided a different perspective on poverty and told a story that often is unheard.

“I learned a lot about the system for people who are living in poverty — how it's so much more unfair than I ever grasped,” she said. “ I never thought that things like food stamps were handouts or anything like that, but I realized it’s a lot more complicated to obtain these things. Money doesn't necessarily buy fulfillment, but it buys basic needs, and everyone deserves to have their basic needs fulfilled and satisfied.”

Levi Bielewicz, a first-year honors biochemistry major, said the book and discussion were great learning opportunities. Land’s experience as a single mother and community college student is very different from most UD first-year students’ experiences.

“It opened up my worldview,” Bielewicz said. “Something that I had known about happening is different than really experiencing it, and I felt like the book was able to help you experience it. I feel like you become more empathetic by reading the book. It forces you to get a better understanding of how other people live.”

Essay contest winners

Seven students were awarded prizes in the 2023 Common Reader Essay Contest, in response to Land's book. The winners are:

First place: Kaleigh Barry, a University Studies student from Wilmington, Delaware
Second place: Allyson Klabunde, an honors geography major from Wilmington, Delaware
Third place: Amanda Mack, an honors business and economics student from Ramsey, New Jersey
Fourth place: Levi Bielewicz, an honors biochemistry major from Newark, Delaware
Honorable Mention: Oluwadamilola Babalola, an honors marketing major from Malvern, Pennsylvania
Honorable Mention: Jenny Sanchez, an honors business and economics student from Newark, Delaware
Honorable Mention: Nathan Brandwein, a student in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment from Freehold, New Jersey

Seven students were awarded prizes in the 2023 Common Reader Essay Contest, in response to Land's book. The winners are pictured with Land and Q&A contributors.

About First Year Seminar Program

The First Year Seminar Program provides UD first-year students the opportunity to think critically and develop social skills as they transition to campus life. The program promotes academic excellence and advances students’ academic success by providing learning opportunities that enhance students’ educational experiences.

Other programs that support undergraduate students include the McNair Scholars Program, Office of Academic Enrichment, Student Support Services Program and the University Studies Program.

Previous Common Readers include My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert.

For more information, please visit: commonreader.fye.udel.edu