Date Published: September 4, 2018
Format: Print
Source: Library
Date Read: February 4-5, 2019
Blurb
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 labor 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 these Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive, but have not given up hope.
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Review
A quick read that is balanced between the hope of a better life on the road and a depressing look at the state of the US housing and employment. Most of these "van dwellers" are retired/semi-retired but a few are young people whose situations at home were not conducive to their health. It is a growing demographic and yet a lonely existence. This book reads like a series of magazine articles, so it should be read more like an anthology or essay collection than a fully fleshed out book. However, I really enjoyed the writing and subject matter so I rated it high. I read the print version and recommend that to other readers - this is a look into a subculture that has its own jargon and it works better to understand if you read rather than listen to the audiobook.
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