Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant
How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
National Bestseller!
"Stephanie Kiser's emotionally honest memoir about nannying for New York's elite is a thoughtful meditation on the way social class separates our realities, even amid the universality of motherhood and maturation." — Blythe Grossberg, author of I Left My Homework in the Hamptons
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From attending lavish galas to meeting over-the-top parental demands, Kiser reveals the perks and pitfalls of nannying for Manhattan's wealthiest families in her wry debut. After graduating from college, Kiser moved to New York City with dreams of becoming "the next Lena Dunham or Greta Gerwig," but the low-paying PR job she landed barely covered her rent. To keep herself afloat, she began nannying for some of the city's most well-off families, who'd discuss summering "out East" during their chauffeured carpools and treat chance encounters with Jay-Z and Beyoncé like no big deal. With a dollop of self-deprecating humor, Kiser juxtaposes her own financially challenged upbringing against the extravagant wealth she encountered during her seven years as a nanny, which taught her "the art of being the poorest person in a wealthy room." After years of 12-hour shifts and glimpses at the corrosive powers of privilege took their toll, however, Kiser's illusions shattered, and she quit nannying ("I had spent my twenties doing jobs I never intended"). While Kiser's insights are familiar, her witty reflections on the value of work-life balance will resonate with readers in the midst of establishing their own careers. It's a solid effort.
