Nomadland by Jessica Bruder

 

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a nonfiction account of the mostly invisible culture of nomads. Often retirement aged people who have fallen on hard times, although we also see those few younger folks who choose to live on the road.

I was fascinated by this book. I am currently retired and always thinking about what lays ahead. I would not be looking forward to the exceptionally difficult life of working as part of Amazon's Camper Force, processing sugar beets, or cleaning firepits and rest rooms as a camp host. So interesting.

As I was reading this book I kept thinking about the Hubert Humphrey quote, “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” 

I have not seen the movie and was surprised to learn the source was nonfiction.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the filmmakers weave all of the nomad's stories into one narrative.

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