nomadland surviving america in the twenty first century

And instead of fighting an uphill battle to return to their previous positions, they opted out, forming an amazing community devoted to each other and the appeal of the open road. Each of the people Bruder introduces us to lost their tenuous place in the middle class to circumstances like illness, divorce, and the Great Recession. Journalist Jessica Bruder’s compelling nonfiction book profiles a diverse group of individuals who have opted for a nomadic life, trading in traditional “stick and brick” homes for RVs, campers, and even cars. The American Dream is as precarious as it is precious-leading many older Americans to abandon it in favor of a different dream altogether. Like Linda May, who dreams of finding land on which to build her own sustainable “Earthship” home, they have not given up hope. At the same time, she celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these quintessential Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive. Accompanying Linda May and others from campground toilet cleaning to warehouse product scanning to desert reunions, then moving on to the dangerous work of beet harvesting, Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy-one that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. In a secondhand vehicle she christens “Van Halen,” Bruder hits the road to get to know her subjects more intimately.

On frequently traveled routes between seasonal jobs, Jessica Bruder meets people from all walks of life: a former professor, a McDonald’s vice president, a minister, a college administrator, and a motorcycle cop, among many others-including her irrepressible protagonist, a onetime cocktail waitress, Home Depot clerk, and general contractor named Linda May. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads. 'People who thought the 2008 financial collapse was over a long time ago need to meet the people Jessica Bruder got to know in this scorching, beautifully written, vivid, disturbing (and occasionally wryly funny) book.' -Rebecca Solnitįrom the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. March and April pick for the PBS Newshour-New York Times 'Now Read This' Book Club The inspiration for Chloé Zhao's celebrated film starring Frances McDormand, winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress

Nomadland surviving america in the twenty first century