(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Stephanie Land, who documented her struggles with poverty, abuse, parenthood and ambition in the best-selling memoir Maid and the newly-published Class, will discuss social and economic barriers and breakthroughs in the Ocean County Library’s Virtual Author Talk series on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 2:00pm.

Maid, subtitled Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive, is Land’s poignant recollection of life as a house cleaner raising a daughter below the poverty line and keeping alive her dream of a college degree. It won widespread acclaim and was adapted into one of the most-watched Netflix series of 2021.

In Class, subtitled A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger and Higher Education, Land illustrates roadblocks that a diploma cannot prevent, including the demands of a labyrinthine loan and preconceptions by others that hinder her dream of a writing career.

Both books are available in print, audiobook, and eBook versions at the Ocean County Library.

The social and economic activist’s website features descriptions of readily-available resources for financially-marginalized families, single parents, and college students.

Please register at https://libraryc.org/theoceancountylibrary to attend this free program, to view the upcoming schedule, and to view previous talks. Registrants will receive links to the program by email and may submit questions for the author when signing up.

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