This new memoir comes out TODAY and we’re excited to have a giveaway! The full title is Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America, and it sounds fascinating.
Let’s read the back of the book:
What are the lives of America’s richest families really like? Their nannies see it all…
When Stephanie Kiser moves to New York City after college to pursue a career in writing, she quickly learns that her entry-level salary won’t cover the high cost of living–never mind her crushing student loan debt. But there is one in-demand job that pays more than enough to allow Stephanie to stay in the city: nannying for the 1%. Desperate to escape the poverty of her own childhood, Stephanie falls into a job that hijacks her life for the next seven years: a glorified personal assistant to toddlers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
At first, nannying seems like the perfect solution–the high pay covers Stephanie’s bills, and she’s surprised by how attached she becomes to the kids she cares for, even as she gasps over Prada baby onesies and preschools that cost more than her college tuition. But the grueling twelve-hour days leave her little time to see her friends, date, or pursue any creative projects that might lead to a more prestigious career. The allure of the seemingly-glamorous job begins to dull as Stephanie comes to understand more about what really happens behind the closed doors of million-dollar Park Avenue apartments–and that money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Soon she will have to decide whether to stay with the children she’s grown to love, or if there’s something better out there just beyond her reach.
Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant is alternately poignant and funny, a portrait of a generation of Americans struggling to find work they love balanced against the headwinds of global uncertainty and an economy stacked against anyone trying to work their way up from the bottom. It’s a provocative story of class, caregiving, friendship, and family–and a juicy, voyeuristic peek behind the curtain of obscene wealth and the privilege and opportunity that comes with it.
Interesting! I always enjoy a memoir and I also always love reading about shenanigans of rich people, so: Win win!
THE TASK: As usual, I’ll be picking the winners at random. To enter, please comment and share the title of YOUR memoir.
THE RULES: All entries must be posted in the comments of this post by 9 p.m. Pacific time on Monday. FYI, if this is the first time you’ve commented here, the system will automatically kick you into comment moderation, but don’t worry, I will rescue you. (Open to US readers only; all prizing courtesy of the publisher. We use affiliate links when available.)
