Nomadland

I loved every chapter in this book. It helps that I am already highly interested in this subject. I loved how it did not shy away from covering both the good and the bad aspects of vandwelling. I hated to leave Linda and fingers crossed that there is a follow up book about the Earthship!

Fascinating look at a sub-culture that we know little about: “houseless” seniors living on the road, picking up temporary jobs at Amazon warehouses, amusement parks and campsites to make ends meet. Bruder traveled and lived with these individuals for several years, giving the book complete authenticity. Not quite an indictment of 21st century capitalism because the individuals who live this way don't see themselves as victims - they've made the choice to pursue this unique type of freedom. So while it's easy to be horrified by the conditions in the Amazon warehouses, where 65 year old “workampers” endure difficult physical labor and mind-numbing boredom so that the rest of us can get our sunglasses and sex toys delivered in the next two days, it's also fairly tempting to be envious of the camaraderie they enjoy when they all join together in bizarre Quartzsite Arizona for the annual “vanily” gathering.

Well-written and extremely thought-provoking.

Well, that was depressing. Who knew there were all these folks, mostly retirement age and older (that is, my age) living out of vans and campers and working anywhere they can to be able to afford to buy food and a place to park? Downright scary. Especially at my age.