NYT Bestseller “Maid” Free at Library

​Quincy Public Library is offering a program to connect readers across the city with the 2023 Quincy Community Read program! 
The QCR program is an initiative to broaden readers’ understanding of the world, our community and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience. The goal is to cultivate meaningful conversations and bring the community together around important topics. ​

The library has selected Stephanie Land’s book Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. The book follows a mother on her journey through important issues like poverty, domestic violence and social class division. The library is giving away 1,000 copies of the book at no cost.
The library is also giving away 500 copies of Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth to younger readers. The book is heartwarming to anyone who has offered kindness and support to a child during a difficult time in their lives.
“The Quincy Public Library is excited to put on another community read event! This year we are partnering with Quanada. The program’s goal is to enrich our community about a topic that they may not have otherwise explored. The corresponding programs aid us in uniting and understanding the themes of the book that are also issues people face in the Quincy community,” said Kathleen Helsabeck, QPL Executive Director. 
The library is offering events such as book clubs, a panel discussion and author talk to further conversations around the books’ themes and provide opportunities to take action and make a difference. 
Don’t miss a chance to meet Stephanie Land, the author of the headlining book Maid, on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6 pm at the Kroc Center for an author talk and book signing. 
This year’s program will include a unique challenge where you can get involved in the community and make a difference. Contact the library for details. Earn all four badges for a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card! This challenge runs until Sunday, Dec. 31.
Quincy Community Read Programming: 
• Thursday, Nov. 2: 
Community Read Panel Discussion 
• Thursday, Nov. 16: 
Stephanie Land Author Talk 
• Thursday, Nov. 30: 
Community Book Discussion
• Now – December 31: 
Quincy Community Read Challenge

For more details, visit QuincyLibrary.org or call the Reference Department at 217-223-1309.

Meet the Author
Stephanie Land is an American author and activist whose writing focuses on social and economic justice, as well as parenting under the poverty line. Her debut book, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, was a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a limited series on Netflix. The book details Land’s personal experience with poverty, relying on government assistance programs to support herself and her daughter. It received critical acclaim and was included on Barack Obama’s “Summer Reading List” of 2019. The Netflix series adaptation reached 67 million households in its first four weeks and became the streaming service’s fourth most-watched show in 2021. The National Domestic Violence Hotline was mentioned after each episode of Maid and received more calls in the month of its premiere than any other month in its entire 25-year history. Land’s work has been featured in numerous outlets, and she is a frequent speaker at colleges and national advocacy organizations. Her second book, Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education, is set to be published in November of this year.