The Hired Girl

Set during the summer of 1911, this diary-based novel follows fourteen-year-old Joan as she seeks a better life. Working as a hired girl in Baltimore, she cleans and cooks for six dollars a week after growing up on a farm. Her entries record the hope she places in new surroundings and unfamiliar experiences, along with moments of adventure and self-discovery. Joan’s journey centers on imagining a future beyond the limits she has known.