What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedA Manual for Cleaning Women
Lucia Berlin · Book · 2015
If you loved A Manual for Cleaning Women, start with Maid (Molly Smith Metzler, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to A Manual for Cleaning Women across media.
If you loved A Manual for Cleaning Women, you appreciate how these stories illuminate the quiet, resilient labor behind domestic existence.
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
Like the characters in A Manual for Cleaning Women, this story explores the precarious power dynamics and hidden secrets inherent in the lives of those working within private homes.
The Help
Film · 2011
Explores: Racial Injustice, Female Empowerment, Civil Rights.
This film reflects the same commitment to capturing the female experience and social class struggles found in A Manual for Cleaning Women through the lens of domestic labor.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Olivia Newman · Film · 2026
Explores: Grief and healing, Intergenerational friendship, Hidden secrets.
You will find the same focus on resilience and the unexpected connections formed during quiet, lonely shifts that define the narrative heart of A Manual for Cleaning Women.
Roma
Alfonso Cuarón · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with A Manual for Cleaning Women: Motherhood.
This film mirrors the social realism and deep empathy for domestic workers that Lucia Berlin mastered in A Manual for Cleaning Women, highlighting the complexities of family and class.
Series on the same thread
Maid
Molly Smith Metzler · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with A Manual for Cleaning Women: Resilience.
This narrative perfectly captures the grit and resilience of single motherhood and poverty that drives the most poignant stories in A Manual for Cleaning Women while breaking cycles.
Better Things
Pamela Adlon · Series · 2016
Explores: single motherhood, female perspective, raising teenagers.
Much like the protagonists in A Manual for Cleaning Women, the lead character navigates the raw, unfiltered reality of the female experience while balancing the demands of daily life.
Podcasts on the same thread
Slaggy Book Club
Podcast
Explores: Contemporary Literature, Book Recommendations, Literary Analysis.
These discussions echo the literary analysis and appreciation for memoir-driven narratives that make A Manual for Cleaning Women such a compelling exploration of the working class life.
Siluetas sin Nombre
Podcast
Explores: User stories, Literature, Personal narratives.
The focus on personal narratives and storytelling mirrors the authentic, lived-in quality of the short stories compiled in A Manual for Cleaning Women, grounding fiction in human experience.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is A Manual for Cleaning Women?
A Manual for Cleaning Women is a 2015 collection that compiles the best short-story work of Lucia Berlin. It serves as a comprehensive volume showcasing the writing of this legendary author.
Is A Manual for Cleaning Women a novel?
No, A Manual for Cleaning Women is not a novel. It is a curated collection of short stories written by Lucia Berlin that highlights her most notable literary contributions.
Who wrote A Manual for Cleaning Women?
A Manual for Cleaning Women was written by the legendary short-story author Lucia Berlin. The book was published in 2015 and brings together her finest pieces of short fiction.
Does A Manual for Cleaning Women contain all of Lucia Berlin's work?
A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of Lucia Berlin. It focuses on presenting her most significant short stories rather than acting as a complete or exhaustive bibliography of everything she wrote.