The Shelter Within

A True Story

De: Stephanie Land

Narrado por: Stephanie Land

A raw, heart-wrenching essay about navigating motherhood and poverty, and the hope and resolve needed to find a way forward, by the New York Times bestselling author of Maid and Class.

Raising a seven-year-old daughter and caring for a newborn, single mother Stephanie Land tries her best to persevere through fatigue, hunger, a depleted food stamp balance, and a bank account hovering around ten dollars. Not to mention postpartum hormones, anxiety over finding suitable housing, and the fear of defeat in the battle of fulfilling her children’s needs and forging her own identity as a writer. With the help of a community of friends and her own steely will, Stephanie is determined to find a way forward to a life that can afford her family hope and joy. She has a dream for a better life. And there is no way she’s giving up.

©2025 by Stephanie Land. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Heartwarming story about challenges and triumph

Stephanie, I am thankful for your honesty and so glad that you finally found a good home for you and your daughters ❤️ you're a tenacity is inspiring!

Always a great story to listen to from Stephanie

Stephanie Land- Her stories are one of resilience, family and heart. A very good listen. Enjoy!

Beautiful Single Mom Survival Story

I love Stephanie’s writing and cried multiple times while listening to these words. As a single mom, I was never bereft of food, but I can identify so deeply with Land’s emotional poverty- feeling alone and not knowing how I would create the life I envisioned for my son. Thank you for continuing to share your story, Stephanie!!!

Thank you Stephanie.

The story of we single, women, parents has never been told in such a way.

The private battles I fought everyday raising 3 children, I rarely shared.

No one wanted to hear about them (friends/coworkers/family- maybe from fear this could happen to them ? Who knows.

Thank you Stephanie

Maximum Beauty in Minimum Pages

I adore Stephanie Land! Her sincerity, her authenticity and honesty struck me profoundly. I have read book 300+ pages that didn’t make me feel the way that this short story did. I am so glad that she narrated this audiobook. By the end I just wanted to contact her in some way to give her my gratitude and ask her if we could be friends!

Grit and Determination

This book is absolutely worth your time to listen to. The sheer will and determination of a mother to care for her children and herself during a very challenging time in her life far outweigjs any doubts or challenges she faces. I really enjoyed this performance.