Nomadland

Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

By: Jessica Bruder

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

From the beet fields of North Dakota to the wilderness campgrounds of California to an Amazon warehouse in Texas, people who once might have kicked back to enjoy their sunset years are hard at work. Underwater on mortgages or finding that Social Security comes up short, they're hitting the road in astonishing numbers, forming a new community of nomads: RV and van-dwelling migrant laborers, or "workampers".

Building on her groundbreaking Harper's cover story, "The End of Retirement", which brought attention to these formerly settled members of the middle class, Jessica Bruder follows one such RVer, Linda, between physically taxing seasonal jobs and reunions of her new van-dweller family, or "vanily". Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of both the economy's dark underbelly and the extraordinary resilience, creativity, and hope of these hardworking, quintessential Americans - many of them single women - who have traded rootedness for the dream of a better life.

©2017 Jessica Bruder (P)2017 HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books

Eccentric Hobby? No--Survival Skills!

I first ran across working nomads in a piece on CBS Sunday Morning. It was winter, and an older couple was delighting in hitting the road, finding places where the older gentleman could be a Santa, and the older woman could work in a gift shop, all the time looking like a Mrs. Claus. They seemed deliriously happy.
Enter Nomadland, and all of that is turned on its head. Here, Bruder follows mostly Linda, a woman in her mid-60s, on her quest to find ways to make ends meet. We meet others, we meet depressing and challenging work environments, we meet jamborees where like-minded people come together.
While Bruder's prose is sometimes lovely, and her depiction of the nomads is always gentle, I found the book to be somewhat frightening. Make no mistake: It's a good book. It's just that it plays upon my deepest fear of being one illness away from homelessness. (And by the way, the nomads are HOUSELESS! Don't tick them off!)
Karen White turns in a 50-50 performance as she always does (she butchered Daring Greatly; she shone in Nothing to Envy)--sometimes she's on target, but sometimes her delivery is dry and robotic.
Still, and engaging book. But it's kinda sorta too depressing to spend a whole credit on...

You Have to Buy the Premise to Enjoy It

What did you love best about Nomadland?

It showed me a world that I was unfamiliar with, camp workers at Amazon, camp ground hosts, Quartzite AZ

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I was interested in the Amazon seasonal workers but it seemed the author spent too much time on it. There were a lot of repeated descriptions especially of the one in Fernley NV. I would have liked a broader picture of full time RVer.

What three words best describe Karen White’s performance?

Her voice is a dead ringer for Samatha Bee which made it hard to disassociate from the comedian. I like Sam Bee but couldn't get that image out of my head to enjoy the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The author seemed determined to tie everything to the 2008 financial crash and show the trajectory of only a few characters. Certainly she met some middle and upper class people who were doing just fine and not living gas fill up to fill up and trying to make it on social security checks and minimum wage jobs. Maybe that was her point; to show the dark side of RV life.

Any additional comments?

I admire her for putting in the road time and actually living in a van rather than flying in and being a "tourist" As my title says you have to by into the premise that RV life is bleak and not done by choice. Maybe I just WANT to think it is not that way.

Read this before hitting the road

I've always dreamed of the freedom of a life on the road. No mortgage or rent, no ties. Just me and the open road. The idea appeals to the hermit inside. After reading this book, I don't think that life is for me. I really don't like how Amazon exploits these people.

Great Book For those considering Nomad Life

Eye opening that many former Middle Class folks have turned to living a nomadic life not by choice but by the economy that is forcing millions to make hard choice to survive

Great listening!

I'm thinking about this for my own life, but then, I drive for a living. My bus driving job lacks the freedom to go wherever whenever and the kinship shared. I'm jealous!

Modern Day Upton Sinclair

Really pertinent subject and well researched. However, book was longer than subject matter warranted, and the nonchronological skipping between storylines was sometimes hard to follow. That being said, everyone interested in the plight of the elderly, economic injustice, and the collapsing American safety net should read this book. Think modern day Upton Sinclair.

Interesting Story

Reader is awful...voice is breathy and very tinny.... almost shrill. Had to gut out.... but...Good stories.

The American Spirit of Survival ...

is alive and well although laced with poverty a flame of fierce determination and imagination is visible in these almost invisible Americans. I particularly enjoyed the description of Cochise County, Arizona..my 5 acres are there.

I'm buying a school bus

Well written and spoken truths of the aging American. I love Mary and would love to visit her Earth ship when I can retire and travel.

Intriguing options

Great information on the struggles and resourcefulness of an aging population seemingly forced to live off the grid. The individuals stories are both heartwarming and heartbreaking.