Nomadland Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century [Hardcover]

Stunning and beautifully written. . . brilliant and hauntingPeople 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.In the early twentieth century, men used to ride the rails in search of work, sharing camps at night. Today, as Bruder brilliantly reports, we have a new class of nomadic workers who travel in their RVs from one short-term job to another. Theres a lot to cringe at herefrom low pay and physically exhausting work to constant insecurity. But surprisingly,The campsite as the home of last resort, the RV used not for vacation but for survival: these are the makings of a new dystopia.You will never forget the people whose stories Bruder tells. Proud, resourceful, screwed-over, funny and in so many ways admirable, the American nomads Bruder lived with and reports on have sometimes lost everything but their bravado . . . . [She] tells their stories with humanity and wit.Bruder is a poised and graceful writer.[A] devastating, revelatory book.Some readers will come because they're enamored of road narratives, but Bruder's study should be of interest to anyone who cares about the?future of work, community, and retirement.[I]mportant, eye-opening journalism.[A]powerhouse of a book. . . . In the best immersive-journalism tradition, Bruderrecords hermisadventuresdriving and living in a van. . . . Visceraland haunting reporting.The end of retirement?