Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education

As Stephanie does her homework in the university center, she reflects on the impostor syndrome that she feels as a result of the age difference between her and her peers. She is exhausted. During Deborah’s class, she checks her phone and sees that she has several missed calls and texts from her new roommate, Seth. Seth reminds her that Emilia gets out of school an hour earlier than usual on Thursdays. She went to a classmate’s house.

Stephanie tries to focus in class but feels very guilty that she forgot about her daughter. Her ex-boyfriend Evan walks in with his new girlfriend. Stephanie looks forward to the nonfiction class with Judy Blunt. Judy authored a memoir, Breaking Clean, which describes her struggle to earn her MFA as a single mother of three children. Stephanie greatly admires her but recalls that Judy said babies do not belong in graduate school. Stephanie is determined to win her over. Judy encourages her students to tell the truth in writing.

Stephanie and Emilia adopt a chihuahua. Stephanie takes Emilia out to dinner, and she realizes that her six-year-old is resistant to trying new foods because she is so anxious about wasting food.