The Maids Daughter

Living Inside and Outside the American Dream

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Emigration & Immigration
Cover of the book The Maids Daughter by Mary Romero, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Romero ISBN: 9780814769362
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: September 1, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Mary Romero
ISBN: 9780814769362
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: September 1, 2011
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English
At a very young age, Olivia left her family and traditions in Mexico to live with her mother, Carmen, in one of Los Angeles’s most exclusive and nearly all-white gated communities.  Based on over twenty years of research, noted scholar Mary Romero brings Olivia’s remarkable story to life. We watch as she struggles through adolescence, declares her independence and eventually goes off to college and becomes a successful professional. Much of her extraordinary story is told in Olivia’s voice and we hear of both her triumphs and her setbacks.
 
In The Maid’s Daughter, Mary Romero explores this complex story about belonging, identity, and resistance, illustrating Olivia’s challenge to establish her sense of identity, and the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in her life. Romero points to the hidden costs of paid domestic labor that are transferred to the families of private household workers and nannies, and shows how everyday routines are important in maintaining and assuring that various forms of privilege are passed on from one generation to another. Through Olivia’s story, Romero shows how mythologies of meritocracy, the land of opportunity, and the American dream remain firmly in place while simultaneously erasing injustices and the struggles of the working poor. 
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
At a very young age, Olivia left her family and traditions in Mexico to live with her mother, Carmen, in one of Los Angeles’s most exclusive and nearly all-white gated communities.  Based on over twenty years of research, noted scholar Mary Romero brings Olivia’s remarkable story to life. We watch as she struggles through adolescence, declares her independence and eventually goes off to college and becomes a successful professional. Much of her extraordinary story is told in Olivia’s voice and we hear of both her triumphs and her setbacks.
 
In The Maid’s Daughter, Mary Romero explores this complex story about belonging, identity, and resistance, illustrating Olivia’s challenge to establish her sense of identity, and the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in her life. Romero points to the hidden costs of paid domestic labor that are transferred to the families of private household workers and nannies, and shows how everyday routines are important in maintaining and assuring that various forms of privilege are passed on from one generation to another. Through Olivia’s story, Romero shows how mythologies of meritocracy, the land of opportunity, and the American dream remain firmly in place while simultaneously erasing injustices and the struggles of the working poor. 

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Arabian Satire by Mary Romero
Cover of the book How the Left Can Win Arguments and Influence People by Mary Romero
Cover of the book The Epistle of Forgiveness by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Fragmented Citizens by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Transformation of Rage by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Botox Nation by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Immigration, Emigration, and Migration by Mary Romero
Cover of the book The Drug Company Next Door by Mary Romero
Cover of the book The New American Zionism by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Automats, Taxi Dances, and Vaudeville by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Fire in the Canyon by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Saints Under Siege by Mary Romero
Cover of the book Shout to the Lord by Mary Romero
Cover of the book The Proustian Quest by Mary Romero
Cover of the book God and Blackness by Mary Romero
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy