The Shelter Within: A True Story

A raw, heart-wrenching essay about navigating motherhood and poverty, and the hope and resolve needed to find a way forward, by the New York Times bestselling author of Maid and Class.

Raising a seven-year-old daughter and caring for a newborn, single mother Stephanie Land tries her best to persevere through fatigue, hunger, a depleted food stamp balance, and a bank account hovering around ten dollars. Not to mention postpartum hormones, anxiety over finding suitable housing, and the fear of defeat in the battle of fulfilling her children’s needs and forging her own identity as a writer. With the help of a community of friends and her own steely will, Stephanie is determined to find a way forward to a life that can afford her family hope and joy. She has a dream for a better life. And there is no way she’s giving up.