Wanted Toddler's personal assistant : how nannying for the 1% taught me about the myths of equality, motherhood, and upward mobility in America

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. Agent: Jen Nadol, Unter Agency. (Aug.)

A nanny's glimpse into the homes of some of America's wealthiest families. After graduating from college, Kiser set out for New York, seeking to become a writer. Quickly realizing that writing wasn't going to pay the bills, she became a nanny for the ultrawealthy. "I'm waiting outside the school pickup line sandwiched between Drew Barrymore and a cousin of George W. Bush," she writes on the first page. "Steve Martin and his wife are a few spots ahead." Eventually, the shiny newness of their celebrity status wore out, as she discovered that most of New York's uber-wealthy reap their lavish benefits off the backs of hardworking Americans. She also came to understand that they will always have the upper hand due to a rigged financial system. On the other side of that coin, Kiser shows parents struggling to provide for their children (including herself), many of whom are unable to afford new clothes, let alone expensive Versace onesies. After getting burned out from the long hours and demanding nature of her job, the author admits, "The people I worked for had all the markers of success: savings, assets, a beautiful home, children they could easily provide for. I had a few thousand in the bank and a 24/7 work mentality. My life looked so much better than it had growing up, but I wondered now if I had lost more than I had gained. Was Iactually doing well, or had people who had far more than I did just tricked me intobelieving I was?" Despite the constant hurdles she jumped over and the unfairness and hypocrisy she saw every day, humor and wit pervade her page-turning tales, allowing a lightness to peek through her poignant, pertinent employment experiences. A unique examination of persistent wealth inequality in the U.S. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.