Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-9

Chapters 10-14

Chapters 15-18

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Stephanie Land

Stephanie Land gained recognition with her bestselling memoir Maid, which became a critically acclaimed Netflix series and received praise from former-President Barack Obama. Her work typically reflects her personal experiences with poverty and single motherhood, an often underexplored topic in literature and memoir. In some ways, Class picks up where Maid left off. In Class, Land focuses on her desire to further her education despite the many obstacles she faces as a single mother below the poverty line.

Land has found success with her writing, representing a “rags to riches” narrative in her authorial arc. While her memoirs detail moments in her life leading up to her imminent success, the stories themselves are focused narrowly on her struggles at different moments and intersections in her life. Land has notably said that she recognizes her own privilege in that she is a white woman discussing poverty and perceivably receives more of an audience than a person of color in a similar situation might receive. In discussing the realities of financial hardship in the United States, Land gives a voice to many who would have otherwise remained silenced but also remains limited in her capacity to represent those in similarly dire situations.

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While earning her bachelor’s in English at the University of Montana, Land published online and in newspapers, gaining feedback on her nonfiction essays from academic and popular readers. On her website, Stepville.com, she publishes her work and shares resources for survivors of domestic violence, a topic also addressed in her memoirs.

Geographical Context: Missoula and Rape Culture

Stephanie describes the complicated history of the college town of Missoula, Montana. She enjoys the sense of community at family events like the Christmas parade, but she also describes the dynamic between the college students and locals. Though Stephanie herself moved to Missoula to attend the university, she considers herself a local instead of a student. As she enjoys the nightlife of Missoula, she comments on the rape cases that brought unwanted attention to the small town.

The student newspaper at the University of Montana gained national attention when its student reporters asked the football coach questions about his players’ rape allegations; the coach refused to answer them and brought more attention to the issue. As more women came forward, they were stigmatized by townspeople who feared that details of rape would reflect poorly on their football team. As chronicled by Jon Krakauer in Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (2015), rape culture in Missoula is perpetuated by institutionalized forces that do not punish the perpetrators and instead make it more difficult for survivors to come forward.

In Class, Stephanie briefly addresses how rape culture has permeated the town. She mentions a school essay she is working on that considers the role of children’s media in disseminating rape culture. Her six-year-old daughter is held down by two boys at school who say they will have sex with her, and they merely receive a time-out. As Stephanie explores the night life and environments where casual sex is common, she acknowledges the ways in which rape culture has permeated Missoula.