Book
Nomadland : surviving America in the twenty-first century / Jessica Bruder.
From the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest 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 Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads: migrant laborers who call themselves "workampers." Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy - one that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, she celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these quintessential Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780393249316 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xiv, 273 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : W. W. Norton & Company, [2017]
- Copyright: ©2017
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Foreword -- Squeeze inn -- End -- Surviving America -- Escape plan -- Amazon town -- Gathering place -- Rubber tramp rendezvous -- Halen -- Some unbeetable experiences -- H word -- Homecoming -- Coda: the octopus in the coconut -- Acknowledgments -- Notes. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Older people > Employment > United States. Casual labor > United States. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 331.3980973 Bru | 31681010093342 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
An award-winning journalist sets out on the road to explore the new phenomenon of âworkampersâ who are migrant workers made up of transient older Americans who took to the road after discovering that their social security came up short and their mortgages were underwater. - Baker & Taylor
The author chronicles her time embedded in a pool of transient older Americans who have taken to the road in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads, migrant laborers who call themselves "workampers." - WW Norton
From the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest campgrounds of California to Amazonâs CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads: migrant laborers who call themselves âworkampers.âOn frequently traveled routes between seasonal jobs, Jessica Bruder meets people from all walks of life: a former professor, a McDonaldâs vice president, a minister, a college administrator, and a motorcycle cop, among many othersâincluding her irrepressible protagonist, a onetime cocktail waitress, Home Depot clerk, and general contractor named Linda May.In a secondhand vehicle she christens âVan Halen,â Bruder hits the road to get to know her subjects more intimately. Accompanying Linda May and others from campground toilet cleaning to warehouse product scanning to desert reunions, then moving on to the dangerous work of beet harvesting, Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economyâone that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, she celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these quintessential Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive. Like Linda May, who dreams of finding land on which to build her own sustainable âEarthshipâ home, they have not given up hope. - WW Norton
The end of retirement?
