Nomadland
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- Create Date：2021-03-25 08:17:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Bruder
- ISBN：1800750307
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the beet fields of North Dakota to the campgrounds of California to Amazon's CamperForce program in Texas， employers have discovered a new， low-cost labour pool， made up largely of transient older adults。 These invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in RVs and modified vans， forming a growing community of nomads。
Nomadland tells a revelatory tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy - one which foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us。 At the same time， it celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of people who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive， but have not given up hope。
Nomadland tells a revelatory tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy - one which foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us。 At the same time， it celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of people who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive， but have not given up hope。
Reviews
Anne
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This work started out as a rather perfunctory report on a cultural phenomenon that seemed to bloom out of the 2008 financial crisis， among other factors: older people， down on their luck， hitting the road to become permanent nomads as they escaped taxes， debt， and past mistakes。 As the writing bore down， however， the insights and perspectives deepened and became more nuanced。 Out of financial hardship， people who were supposed to be enjoying their "golden years" were heading out to make the best This work started out as a rather perfunctory report on a cultural phenomenon that seemed to bloom out of the 2008 financial crisis， among other factors: older people， down on their luck， hitting the road to become permanent nomads as they escaped taxes， debt， and past mistakes。 As the writing bore down， however， the insights and perspectives deepened and became more nuanced。 Out of financial hardship， people who were supposed to be enjoying their "golden years" were heading out to make the best of a bad situation， looking for adventure and a little hard cash。 The author， a woman in her 30's， embeds herself with several of them， and， in the end， presents a respectful portrayal of people down on their luck but not yet ready to give up on their life's dreams。 It is a bittersweet saga， without the happy ending， a truly American story that has happened in myriad ways over the past 200 years。We follow one woman， Linda May， throughout the book， and several others off and on as they appear as part d ch===Amazon's CamperForce or at communal get togethers。 They offer assistance and know how to the "newbies" and share with Jessica Bruder their stories。The writing is journalistic and clear， the organization a weave of time and characters。 Their stories inspire the reader's admiration and sympathy in equal measures。 。。。more
Klaudia Wawro
，
Okey， ich habe dass Buch so eine Woche her gelesen und ich weiß die ganze Zeit was ich denken soll。 Es war echt interessant zu lernen uber Leute die im Campers wohnen。 Aber etwas hat mir hier nicht gefallen。 Manchmal war es einfach langweilig。 Ich habe dass gefühlt dass viele Sachen/ Geschichten haben sich wiederholt。So wie so empfehle ich es euch。 Ich habe bestimmt viel gelernt 3，5
Wiktoria Piotrzkowska
，
Wspaniały reportaż， wszystko jest w nim doskonale wyważone i rzetelne。 Autorka nie próbuje romantyzować życia Nomadów， tylko słowami maluje prawdziwy obraz ich życia。 Styl pisania nieziemsko przyjemny， czułam się jakby przyjaciółka opowiadała mi całą historie zawartą w książce。 Niepolubienie bohaterki Lindy jest chyba niemożliwe， czuję się do niej niesamowicie przywiązana！ Wiele wzruszeń i ciepła。
Susan Moss
，
“There have always been itinerants， drifters， hobos， restless souls。 But now， in the second millennium， a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging。 People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road。 They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans， secondhand RVs， school buses， pickup campers， travel trailers， and plain old sedans。 They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class。 Decisions like “There have always been itinerants， drifters， hobos， restless souls。 But now， in the second millennium， a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging。 People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road。 They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans， secondhand RVs， school buses， pickup campers， travel trailers， and plain old sedans。 They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class。 Decisions like: Would you rather have food or dental work？ Pay your mortgage or your electric bill？ Make a car payment or buy medicine？ Cover rent or student loans？ Purchase warm clothes or gas for your commute？ For many the answer seemed radical at first。 You can’t give yourself a raise， but what about cutting your biggest expense？ Trading a stick-and-brick domicile for life on wheels？”This was our March book club selection， and thanks to Eileen for choosing this book， which pendulumed from statistical to personal， fascinating to disturbing， adventurous to challenging。 During last night's discussion I mentioned that I was already more than halfway through （148 pages）， and I found it to be *very* dry。 Eileen encouraged me to keep going， and I am so glad she did， because I finished it today and my opinion changed completely， as the book morphed from what felt to be an extended magazine article to a human account of people connecting with， and supportive of， each other。 Couldn't wait to follow up on many links: Earthships， Silvianne's blog， octopus in a coconut， and of course CheapRVLiving。 Will definitely be watching the movie， with the amazing Frances McDormand， tomorrow night！ 。。。more
Ellen Taylor
，
This book is as compelling for the consideration of how the economy impacts the shaping of our society as it is for the glimpse into the resilience of humankind， their will to survive， and the community that they can build even in the most difficult of situations。 While some of the nomads in the book made the choice to live this way， a majority were forced into it by a plethora of factors， including the economy， agism， and a failed system that lacks support for the aging populations。 However， I This book is as compelling for the consideration of how the economy impacts the shaping of our society as it is for the glimpse into the resilience of humankind， their will to survive， and the community that they can build even in the most difficult of situations。 While some of the nomads in the book made the choice to live this way， a majority were forced into it by a plethora of factors， including the economy， agism， and a failed system that lacks support for the aging populations。 However， I feel this book， and the movie， were made with the intent of living intact the dignity of those who must or choose to live this way。 In that endeavor， both the book and movie succeed。Nomadland also addresses that the population of those who must live this way is growing and what that could mean in the future。 。。。more
Cindy
，
Not at all what I expected。 I've been spending too much time looking at camping posts。 This is not a happy camper story。 It's about getting to retirement age and not having enough money to live on。 I did like the attitude of the people in the book。 Hardworking and always optimistic。 Not at all what I expected。 I've been spending too much time looking at camping posts。 This is not a happy camper story。 It's about getting to retirement age and not having enough money to live on。 I did like the attitude of the people in the book。 Hardworking and always optimistic。 。。。more
Hpnyknits
，
I really couldn’t get into this book。 DNFOnce I got past the introduction， everything else seemed a repeat。 I’m disappointed because it’s the March and April choice for Now Read This。 😩
Carol Davis
，
Is this retirement？Eye opening description of a culture I didn't know existed！ It puts a different way of looking at retirement！ It's written in a way that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what the next revelation will be。 Is this retirement？Eye opening description of a culture I didn't know existed！ It puts a different way of looking at retirement！ It's written in a way that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what the next revelation will be。 。。。more
Amy
，
After watching the movie I couldn't wait to read this。 It was very interesting。 I wish life was easier for those who choose this life and for those who have no choice but to live this way。 Also I really need to cut my Amazon habit！ After watching the movie I couldn't wait to read this。 It was very interesting。 I wish life was easier for those who choose this life and for those who have no choice but to live this way。 Also I really need to cut my Amazon habit！ 。。。more
Lila Morris
，
Seen the movie？ Now read the real story！
David Roma Palou
，
L’autora ens introdueix progressivament， en el relat de les vides dels personatges reals， en un món submergit i amagat pels convencionalismes i prejudicis del mateix sistema econòmic-social que l’ha creat。Després de la greu crisis de les subprime als USA， molta gent va descobrir dolorosament que el sistema els expulsava perquè aquest mateix els havia dut a una situació insostenible si havien de les complir els estàndards de “normalitat” i complir amb els compromisos adquirits per arribar a l’ide L’autora ens introdueix progressivament， en el relat de les vides dels personatges reals， en un món submergit i amagat pels convencionalismes i prejudicis del mateix sistema econòmic-social que l’ha creat。Després de la greu crisis de les subprime als USA， molta gent va descobrir dolorosament que el sistema els expulsava perquè aquest mateix els havia dut a una situació insostenible si havien de les complir els estàndards de “normalitat” i complir amb els compromisos adquirits per arribar a l’ideal del somni americà。La capacitat de resiliència admirable dels personatges d’aquest documental， escrit per Jessica Bruder， t’enganxa per saber com han arribat a aconseguir una vida frugal i minimalista en les vivendes sobre rodes。Se’ns mostra la part més entranyable de la solidaritat， col·laboració i organització entre els membres d’aquest món alternatiu però sempre tocant de peus a terra sobre les limitacions i dificultats pròpies dels personatges i les externes imposades pels prejudicis socials， les traves polítiques i administratives。Llegint vaig avançant en les diverses vides reflexades， mentre la corrent subjacent se’m va descobrint i em transmet una inquietud q m’envaeix a moments。 Certs detalls em confirmem de la freda i salvatge selecció “natural” que s’està imposant， volent normalitzar-ho sense tenint en compte que el problema， de les diferències cada cop creixents， no es soluciona sinó que creix i creixerà sense aturador。 。。。more
jaikx
，
3，5
Janell
，
The next time I put an item in my Amazon cart I will think about the person in the Fulfillment Center searching through boxes to 'pick' my purchase。 （You mean they don't put all the items of one type in the same box？？？） Is that person， too， a Nomad like those in this book just working at one site for several months before moving on？ And when I see an RV parked in a Walmart parking lot， I will definitely ponder if that's someone's permanent home。 Author Jessica Bruder offers up many different pe The next time I put an item in my Amazon cart I will think about the person in the Fulfillment Center searching through boxes to 'pick' my purchase。 （You mean they don't put all the items of one type in the same box？？？） Is that person， too， a Nomad like those in this book just working at one site for several months before moving on？ And when I see an RV parked in a Walmart parking lot， I will definitely ponder if that's someone's permanent home。 Author Jessica Bruder offers up many different perspectives regarding why people choose or are forced into homelessness in this book， 'Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st century。' I am anxious to see the movie on which this book was based。 。。。more
Kathleen Stack
，
Highly engaging and meticulously researched， this book was a thorough examination of the RV/van life and the challenges and rewards it entails。 It neither romanticized nor condescended to its subjects。I could read about these people forever。 Whether by choice or circumstance， these nomads demonstrated resilience and hope in ways few of us can。
Diane
，
“THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS， drifters， hobos， restless souls。 But now， in the second millennium， a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging。 People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road。 They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans， secondhand RVs， school buses， pickup campers， travel trailers， and plain old sedans。 They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class。 Decisions like “THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS， drifters， hobos， restless souls。 But now， in the second millennium， a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging。 People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road。 They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans， secondhand RVs， school buses， pickup campers， travel trailers， and plain old sedans。 They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class。 Decisions like: Would you rather have food or dental work？ Pay your mortgage or your electric bill？ Make a car payment or buy medicine？ Cover rent or student loans？ Purchase warm clothes or gas for your commute？ For many the answer seemed radical at first。 You can’t give yourself a raise， but what about cutting your biggest expense？ Trading a stick-and-brick domicile for life on wheels？I'm not sure this is a book I would have picked up on my own。 It was a book club pick and I'm thankful that my buddy Cathy chose it。 It was a fascinating look at a subculture I knew nothing about。 I learned so much by reading it and was wowed by Bruder's research。 Also， you will never look at Amazon the same way。 。。。more
Marie
，
A very interesting topic with far-reaching considerations for both aging and corporate greed， but I found it to be unnecessarily repetitive。 I have not seen the film but could see how it would translate well there。
Elijah Lais
，
3。5Really solid， insightful book。 It highlights large swaths of unsee/forgotten America， and further examines the nasty underbelly of the economic collapse of 2008。Sometimes， however， I did find myself getting a bit bored， and often getting confused/blurring the various characters and their similar sort of tales。 Good read overall， though， and now I can finally go check out the film。
Gerry MerryCarol
，
I liked the movie。。。 so went to find the book。。。 and it too was a great read。 Becoming Homeless isn't generally a choice you make。。。 and these folks prefer not to be called home less。。。 they are simply living in their car/van which has become home。 but figuring how to do just enough work to live and where to have your driver's liscence address。。。 and voter's address。。。 these things I would never have imagined before reading this story。 I liked the movie。。。 so went to find the book。。。 and it too was a great read。 Becoming Homeless isn't generally a choice you make。。。 and these folks prefer not to be called home less。。。 they are simply living in their car/van which has become home。 but figuring how to do just enough work to live and where to have your driver's liscence address。。。 and voter's address。。。 these things I would never have imagined before reading this story。 。。。more
Serai Finn Schueller
，
At first I was intrigued to learn about this subculture of van and RV dwellers。 I liked that the journalist immersed herself in this world for 3 years and attempted to share an unorthodox example of the implications of a shrinking middle class。 However， the book ultimately fell short for me。I found the stories of the people and friends she met along the way overly redundant and somewhat surface level。 I didn’t find that any of the stories really built up to anything new。 It was all just another At first I was intrigued to learn about this subculture of van and RV dwellers。 I liked that the journalist immersed herself in this world for 3 years and attempted to share an unorthodox example of the implications of a shrinking middle class。 However， the book ultimately fell short for me。I found the stories of the people and friends she met along the way overly redundant and somewhat surface level。 I didn’t find that any of the stories really built up to anything new。 It was all just another example of the same few points。Furthermore， the author talks so much about Amazon in the that it started to feel more like a book about Amazon （Amazonland？） than the nomads working there。 I don’t disagree with her assessment of the behemoth of a corporation， but I felt like she clung to it a little hard。 Also， the topic of race was hurriedly addressed， which didn’t bother me all that much —- it just felt like she was putting it off too long and I kept waiting for her to acknowledge the whiteness of this whole van-dwelling business。 With that said， I’m eager to watch the movie。 I may like that more。 。。。more
Heather
，
Very different than the new Hulu movie。 There’s a lot of layers to this examination of the newest and growing group of American retirees。 The author takes an immersive look at the growing community of “American Nomads”—overwhelmingly white and 55+ transients who live in their super dumpy and old cars， vans， and RVs， going from place to place as seasonal workers。 These people take jobs that are mind numbing and/or insanely physical， especially for the grannies and grampies doing them。 They work f Very different than the new Hulu movie。 There’s a lot of layers to this examination of the newest and growing group of American retirees。 The author takes an immersive look at the growing community of “American Nomads”—overwhelmingly white and 55+ transients who live in their super dumpy and old cars， vans， and RVs， going from place to place as seasonal workers。 These people take jobs that are mind numbing and/or insanely physical， especially for the grannies and grampies doing them。 They work for Amazon fulfillment centers and as campground hosts （that are contracted by the federal government， mind you） and on various farms， all with horrible working conditions。 They got these elderly working jobs most 20 year olds wouldn’t be able to withstand。 All the while， these nomads have a “can do” attitude and “no whining” policy， destroying their bodies and minds for these seasonal low-paying jobs and making just enough for gas money to get to the next shitty job。 The general consensus I got from the people the author surveyed is that these people think they’ve pulled one over on “the system” and they’re truly free—of debt， of the American dream， whathaveyou。 But at the same time， they’re shitting in literal buckets in a freezing van， forced on annual trips to Mexico for healthcare （if they’re lucky enough to have a passport）， and their long term plan is to literally die on the road， either by their own hand or by sheer exhaustion。 Like if taking a dump in my bedside bucket is “pulling myself up by the bootstraps，” I don’t wanna？ I feel like these boomers have fooled themselves into thinking that if they say they’re camping， they aren’t homeless。。。Their formerly middle class minds can’t take the stigma that comes with that label。 But yo they’re literally homeless and calling it something else to make themselves feel better。 The author touches on that thought。 While these people are definitely resilient， they’re delusional in my opinion。。。there’s clearly a generational gap in what’s deemed acceptable living conditions。 Or maybe they’re just making the best of their awful situations？ Guess I’m not sure what else they could really do。 The system has failed them like the rest of us I guess。 I dunno man， this book is definitely worth the read and makes me think a lot about retirement and how I can and should prepare to avoid this horseshit。 At the very least， I’m gonna start saving for one of them super fancy mega yacht RVs。 The author does a good job presenting the info and letting you make your own decisions。Negatives: hardly touches on VERY small minority population and LGBTQ+ on the road。 I’d like to hear their stories and more about why this is very much a straight white people phenomenon。 I can take educated guesses， but it would have made this more well rounded and interesting。 I’d also like to know a bit more about the politics of these people—that was left out pretty much completely and I think it would be an interesting angle。 Also， don’t bother with audiobook， you might as well just turn on text-to-speech cause it’s the same level of robot voice。 。。。more
Ericka Jade
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I listened to the audio version and I liked it。 I wasn't sure if I would but found the way the lives of these nomads intriguing。 The way they figure things out and rig up ways for heat and other necessities is pretty ingenious。 I'm also pretty impressed that 70+ folks can walk all over an Amazon warehouse and I'm pretty sure I can't。 It is a sad state of things in this country where people can work all their lives and still cannot afford their houses or rental housing。 I'm glad that there are gr I listened to the audio version and I liked it。 I wasn't sure if I would but found the way the lives of these nomads intriguing。 The way they figure things out and rig up ways for heat and other necessities is pretty ingenious。 I'm also pretty impressed that 70+ folks can walk all over an Amazon warehouse and I'm pretty sure I can't。 It is a sad state of things in this country where people can work all their lives and still cannot afford their houses or rental housing。 I'm glad that there are groups who check up on each other and share tips because I cannot imagine doing this alone。 。。。more
Jeanne
，
“Today the United States has the most unequal society of all developed nations。 America’s level of inequality is comparable to that of Russia， China， Argentina， and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo。”Informative read。
Mark Kennedy
，
I might write further about this。 I might come back to reviewing after digestion of the determination， the sorrow， the utter depravation of exploiting workers in this book， in this world。 For now I will warn you， this story will hurt your heart and cause pain from shaking your head。。。。
Laurie Mason Taylor
，
Interesting subculture of "houseless" people who live a debt free life and have a community support system。 Looking forward to seeing the movie。 Interesting subculture of "houseless" people who live a debt free life and have a community support system。 Looking forward to seeing the movie。 。。。more
Thomas
，
A personal， introspective， and ultimately broad view of where America's middle class has been， is， and will likely be in the near future， and the people who abandoned conventional wisdom for something greater and freer。 A personal， introspective， and ultimately broad view of where America's middle class has been， is， and will likely be in the near future， and the people who abandoned conventional wisdom for something greater and freer。 。。。more
BookBully
，
4。5。 Can’t imagine any reader not finding this a worthwhile read。
Elizabeth
，
Very interesting topic。 Made me sad and angry。 Was slow reading for me。
Gulf Coast
，
3。5 interesting and eye opening！Library read
Mark O'brien
，
This is a good book but it may already be outdated since it was published in 2017， before Covid-19 cost even more people their jobs and economic security。 I would love to know what happened in the last year to the people featured in the book。Bruder tells her tale in a meandering way， a mix of anecdotes， profiles， statistics and first-hand observations。 She is very much on the money with her account of many middle-aged and older people who were unable or unwilling to establish a safety net。 The r This is a good book but it may already be outdated since it was published in 2017， before Covid-19 cost even more people their jobs and economic security。 I would love to know what happened in the last year to the people featured in the book。Bruder tells her tale in a meandering way， a mix of anecdotes， profiles， statistics and first-hand observations。 She is very much on the money with her account of many middle-aged and older people who were unable or unwilling to establish a safety net。 The result: They roam the United States in often-shaky vehicles accepting low-paying， no-benefits jobs in the gig economy。 Many still are suffering after-effects from the 2008 economic collapse。 I feel their pain since my career ended five years before my planned retirement。 Fortunately， I had transferable skills and have been able to get by， although at greatly reduced pay。 The thought of joining these "houseless" nomads gives me the chills。It also drives home the point about income inequality， which has only gotten worse due to Covid。 Bruder makes a very good point: "The top 1 percent now makes eighty-one times what those in the bottom half do， when you compare average earnings。 For American adults on the lower half of the income ladder -- some 117 million of them - earnings haven't changed since the 1970s。" 。。。more
Ron Schneider
，
Such a sad tale about growing old after the last recession。 Homes foreclosed upon， jobs lost， age discrimination， 401（k） plans wiped out， employers taking advantage of needy itinerant workers。 One can only wonder how many more times this story will be repeated after the post-covid recession。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Nomadland
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Nomadland&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Nomadland&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0