A Manual for Cleaning Women

Selected Stories

This collection brings together forty-three short stories drawn from the lifetime work of American author Lucia Berlin. Set across the American Southwest, California, and Mexico, the narratives follow resilient women working as cleaning ladies, switchboard operators, emergency room nurses, and struggling mothers. Berlin draws heavily on her own nomadic life and struggles with alcoholism, blending humor with poignant everyday realities. The stories capture moments of grace and connection in ordinary places like laundromats, detox wards, and bus stops.

by Lucia Berlin

Farrar, Straus and Giroux · First published 2015 · 403 pages