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Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
Audiobook9 hours

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

Written by Jessica Bruder

Narrated by Karen White

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

From the beet fields of North Dakota to the wilderness campgrounds of California to an Amazon warehouse in Texas, people who once might have kicked back to enjoy their sunset years are hard at work. Underwater on mortgages or finding that Social Security comes up short, they're hitting the road in astonishing numbers, forming a new community of nomads: RV and van-dwelling migrant laborers, or "workampers."

Building on her groundbreaking Harper's cover story, "The End of Retirement," which brought attention to these formerly settled members of the middle class, Jessica Bruder follows one such RVer, Linda, between physically taxing seasonal jobs and reunions of her new van-dweller family, or "vanily." Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of both the economy's dark underbelly and the extraordinary resilience, creativity, and hope of these hardworking, quintessential Americans?many of them single women?who have traded rootedness for the dream of a better life.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 26, 2017
ISBN9781681687193
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

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Reviews for Nomadland

Rating: 4.224509862745099 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I decided to “read” (actually, I listened to the book) “Nomadland” because I had seen the movie. In fact, I saw it on Hulu,and I liked it so much, Ifound a theater that was showing it and went to see it on the big screen. It didn’t take long for me to realized that the book version of the movie bore little resemblance to the movie. One big difference between the two is the treatment of Amazon and their fulfillment centers where many of the van-living crowd works seasonally. The book is much more a comment on the state of older Americans as they approach and then pass their retirement years. Much of it is mildly depressing, especially for those of us in that age category. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to those who enjoyed the movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting and Sad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As a expeditor I can relate to the people Referd to in this book. Ever since I quite trucks and started driving long distances in my van. I prefer to stay away from the cancer fumes of truck stops and hang out with van dwellers in parking lots.it’s sad to see people sleeping In vehicles in extreme weather. Seems like we humans can do better than this. It all comes down to one word (Greed).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The writer made you feel part of the experience.
    I would love for the book to go on Ann on
    Did the Earth home get built is she living in it now so much I want to know
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a cool book it made very clear the reality of how cruel the world can be. It’s an eye-opener for sure. I never realized that there was this much of this type of living going on. Nor how many people that had such high up jobs are in the mix ,incredible. I love the tenacity that these people have it’s refreshing. I will never look at nomadic culture The same ever again . I have a lot more of a reverence , respect and well wishes. It was a little funny ,a little sad ,a little shocking . Bottom line is I didn’t want it to end I wanted to keep hearing about how her house turned out, her earthship... I wish her well
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful book. Not sure I want to see the movie because I don't know if it will do the book justice. Sad and inspiring in so many ways. Hope there will be a follow up book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was incredibly depressing and far more common than I was aware. Capitalism (ugh) As a gen X I guess I better get to research, this is where I’m headed
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was the most depressing book I’ve ever read. A hideous nightmare from start to finish. I wouldn’t have continued past chapter 2 if this wasn’t the first book chosen by our new book club. My hope is that every person who reads it will immediately start a retirement savings plan and make it their #1 financial priority to NOT find themselves living in their car or van when they turn 60.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Quality of narration is terrible - it is too irritating to listen to
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nomadland can't decide if it wants to be an ethnography, a biography, a journalistic account of a phenomenon, or something else. Bruder tells the story of Linda Mae well, although somewhat unevenly - we get a sketchy biography of Linda, but it's not all told in sequence and the level of detail varies. I enjoyed learning about Bob Wells and his path to becoming a van dweller more.

    I really wish there had been more information about how widespread workamping or van dwelling as retirement are. Bruder states at one point that it's difficult to gather data on people who are so mobile and work so many temporary jobs - which I'm sure it is - but I really wanted a better picture on the broader phenomenon. Similarly, at one point she mentions that this lifestyle seems to be overwhelmingly white, offers some possible causes, and then doesn't mention it again.

    Bruder's brief stints working at Amazon and American Crystal Sugar were particularly frustrating. She goes in, works a couple of days, and quits. These stories don't really add much to the book - many other authors have talked about the difficulty of similar jobs, and as she admits, she can't really share the experience of the people who have no choice about working them. I really wish she had talked more to the permanent supervisors who see the workampers come and go.

    After reading the book, I really felt for Linda Mae and the others Bruder talks about, but I don't know how universal their experiences were. Is this a story of what American old age is becoming, or a small, isolated group that isn't being served by the existing systems? Bruder suggests the former, but her book doesn't quite convince me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jessica Bruder infiltrated a subculture that exists in the United States: people (usually over 50) who live out of mobile vehicles, be it trailer, car, panel truck, etc., because they can't afford house or rent payments. She has researched the field and made comparisons to the Dustbowl Crisis of the 1930's. Bruder spent 3 years studying and traveling with this group, investing in her own trailer to experience the lifestyle. Those who are most successful in living like this are folks who consider themselves "houseless" but not homeless. And many call themselves "vanily" (chosen family of like minded individuals) rather than family. Most stories leading to this way of life are sad ones, some are heartbreaking. But there is a large "vanily" out there and they are there for each other. The people who live like this still needs to work and so they migrate all over the U.S. for temporary/seasonal work (National Parks and Amazon Fulfillment Centers are the largest employers) and stay in touch with each other via the internet. It's interesting to note that these people have pared there belongings down to the essentials and then spend 3 or 4 months a year working in Amazon warehouses unpacking, sorting, distributing and mailing a wealth of what America thinks it needs to be happy and fulfilled. I found the book well-written, interesting and thought compelling.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An ever-increasing number of Americans, especially after the Great Recession, have opted out of the dream of home ownership, choosing instead a life on the road. In RVs, vans, trucks, and even sedans, these modern nomads travel from one end of the country to another in search of jobs, fellowship, and the ever-elusive free parking space. Their reasons range from financial necessity to a quest for personal freedom. In this book, Bruder follows one subject, a woman named Linda May, through several years on the road.Overall, I found this an engaging read. There were a couple instances where the author defined a term that she had already defined in an earlier chapter, or reintroduced a person whom she had introduced already in he book. I was also expecting a broader sampling of people, rather than the fairly close focus on Linda, but I can't fault the book for not doing what I expected when that was clearly not the author's intention. I'd recommend this to readers of Evicted by Matthew Desmond and other books about poverty and the American experience.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What happens to people when they can't afford to both pay rent and eat - many of them walk away and instead start living in a van or RV and drive around the country finding seasonal work from employers that exploit them and take advantage of their dire circumstances. I saw the movie "Nomadland" before I read this book, and I'm going to have to watch it again now that I know exactly what was being depicted there. This is a subculture that I really knew nothing about - or perhaps didn't want to think about - and it's frightening and saddening to realize that many people in this "land of plenty" are not doing well at all.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder Love the tribute to Leonard Cohen, his words matter.Story is about Linda and she's now over 60 and on the road traveling from one location to another while finding short term work.She had raised two girls and had even moved in with them at one point but they downsized and no rom for her. She lives in her modified van and works seasonal jobs in America, heading to warmer climates in the winter, AZ where rent is cheap and she likes the job of tending to the campsites and facilities.She has many friends and people she runs into yearly and has a wealth of helpful information about jobs, that either she's done or knows other who have done them. Depression sets in when you are forced to work OT but are only paid for 8 hours and when you are told it will be 40 hours a week and lucky to get 20. You can't pay bills with lower money, never mind survive.I had watched a movie about this woman on TV and although you can't hear her thoughts you can see her actions.I would be terrified to live the life on the road, never knowing who was going to rob you, abuse you or kill you. With pandemic I feel things have gotten worse and its everybody for themselves out there.Raised from a frugal mother who could cook a meal and feed others not in their immediate family they joke about the lack of hamburger in the spaghetti dinner.Love the idea of the earth ship and how you grow food in the house and you do not need any utilities hooked up, the house sustain itself.Book is so much more entertaining, giving you the history of living in vans, rv's etc like the Okies in grapes of wrath (love this mention) traveling to areas they could survive in.Like how others have agreed to pitch in to help her with the adventure and living off the land.Love hearing how she progresses with her dreams, plans and her earth ship. Wonder how it turned out.....Love how smart she is and always listening to others on how they would do things, like building a water plant, using rain for crops, etc.Travel, learning new things, way of the world when you live on the roads and public lands, fears of trafficking drugs, how to make ends meet.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What happens when the decisions made leave you with little or no money to live in house, afford other necessities, or barely get by ? That is what is facing many Americans today. This is what Jessica Bruder looks at with this book. An underground, invisible band of people travelling the US getting by on seasonal work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    audio nonfiction (10 hours) nomad culture/houseless migrant workers who travel around fulfilling short-term jobs rather than being weighed down by mortgage and housing debts; "Earth ship" housing "trend"; inside look : being a camp host for California BLM (lots of unpaid overtime, try not to bother them at odd hours if you can help it); inside look: Amazon distribution center workers - pickers, stowers, seasonal shifts, working conditionsReally interesting, highly recommended.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I chose this as an audiobook as my sister recommended it and raved about it. I was not quite as enthralled. This latter-day "Grapes of Wrath" tome dwells on the plight primarily of the aging population struggling to get by, or I suppose one could use the word buy, as that is what we are all programmed to do.So in seemingly endless narrative the author bemoans the "woe is me" plight of these poor folks as they drudge around the country in there dilapidated vans and RV's looking for scraps of drudge work, often provided by the commercial "Big Brother", Amazon. She befriends and comes back again and again to Linda who is like the poster woman for the down trodden and destitute retirement age persons scraping to get by.Yes the stories and predicaments are heart rendering. Yet when you look at how our society is put together and the nature of capitalism in particular these not so fortunates that are growing in number, fueled primarily by the ageing Baby Boomers is inevitable. And the chilling message really is how far are you from this reality? Chilling indeed.Aside from the pity and lamenting, no remedies or solutions are offered to the plight; just endless anguish. So the point of the book is to mainly illustrate how tough life can become for those not prepared, but probably even more so not through their own fault but the faults of your economic systems that shows little pity for the downtrodden. It makes one misty eyed for the days of yore and the golden, or at least brass, pensions that at one time existed for many.Finally, a thought kept drifting through my mind as I listened to the tragic tales from this author who put the spotlight on their plight. Would she contribute to help these less fortunates through her book sale receipts? Or would she pocket them herself as she rides off into the sunset in her new Escalade.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Read after I had seen the film, the original book provides a more detailed description of Americans, who sound to have been mainly from middle class backgrounds, that have been forced by circumstance, to change from house dwelling, to mobile home dwelling (“vandwellers”), leading an itinerant life taking temporary jobs wherever there is work. What I was surprised by was the number of people that Bruder met who had been made bankrupt after making poor investments and losing all of their money in the 2007-09 financial crisis, sometimes because of losing their jobs, pension mismanagement or failed marriages, but also often because they personally had leveraged (mortgaged) their home to make investments which had made a loss.As in the film, the book centres on Linda May’s story, but there is more space available to flesh out the background and for Bruder to tell the story of other vandwellers.A really interesting investigation into both American vandwellers and its causes, with Bruder coming across as a responsible journalist who has taken the time to understand the issues.Note that temperatures are quoted in Fahrenheit; as someone used to centigrade, this can be deceptive, where Nevada’s winter temperature of minus two doesn’t sound too bad, until you realise that that means minus twenty centigrade!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was pretty compelling investigative journalism into the modern phenomena of older adults experiencing/choosing houselessness. I'll admit, I watched the movie before I read this, so I was initially expecting a singular POV, but I really liked this format even more (even though I luh you, Frances McDormand, and the movie was good). It's had me thinking so much about capitalism, healthcare, social support networks, aging, and more, and has prompted some really interesting discussions with friends and coworkers. The only thing that I wish Bruder spent more time on was how this world is overwhelmingly white (it's only a blip about 3/4 the way through), which does provoke some side eye.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I decided to “read” (actually, I listened to the book) “Nomadland” because I had seen the movie. In fact, I saw it on Hulu,and I liked it so much, Ifound a theater that was showing it and went to see it on the big screen. It didn’t take long for me to realized that the book version of the movie bore little resemblance to the movie. One big difference between the two is the treatment of Amazon and their fulfillment centers where many of the van-living crowd works seasonally. The book is much more a comment on the state of older Americans as they approach and then pass their retirement years. Much of it is mildly depressing, especially for those of us in that age category. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to those who enjoyed the movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “ Social Security is now the largest single source of income for most Americans sixty five and older. But it’s woefully inadequate. ‘Instead of a three legged stool, (SS, pension, savings), we have a pogo stick’.” P 66Before reading this book, I had visions of happy RV’ers on extended vacations. I had even imagined myself as a campground host, whiling away a summer along one of my favorite lakes.But the reality that author Jessica Bruder found is much different. For the most part, the people she followed are living on very little cash – often social security income in the $700 per month range. Many once had solidly middle class careers; a few had six figure incomes. But layoffs happened, and savings and pension funds disappeared. Others worked minimum wage jobs their entire lives, and as retirement age loomed, found themselves without means of support.Now they live in a variety of camping vehicles, trailers, vans and converted buses. Most of these vehicles are older, so that the living quarters and the vehicles that pull them are also subject to a variety of breakdowns. Their owners follow the temporary jobs; sugar beet harvests, campground hosts, temporary pre- holiday jobs at Amazon. These jobs are physically demanding, often resulting in injury with no compensation. These modern nomads take pride in their independence and self-reliance. For the most part, they are just getting by monetarily – there is no way off this treadmill by saving a bit of money and getting back into regular housing.They do, however enjoy strong community ties – people helping people, strong friendships and amazing gatherings, such as the winter gathering in Quartzite, Arizona.The inadequate safety net for the elderly in the U.S. is saddening. What will happen to them when they can no longer do the demanding work?I'll be interested to watch the movie, made with many of the original 'nomads' that Bruder interviewed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I saw the movie first because I didn't realize there was a book, but yes! The book is better. The book dives in to the establishment of a new lower middle class. Older Americans who lost their houses and retirements during the recession of the early 21st century are forced into their campers and travel trailers to hit the road and survive however they can, without a permanent residence that is sapping them economically. The community they form on the road is heart-warming, the labor they endure at a time when their better-off peers are retiring is frightening. They get by with resilience and because they have no other choice, living in campers, vans, and even a Prius, traveling to where the jobs are, working long hard hours for just enough money to scrape by. You'll never look at a pick-up camper the same way again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    April 8Nomandland was first brought to my attention by the award winning movie, which I held off watching when I noticed it also become a " big read book" on Overdrive. I don't often read nonfiction, but I'm glad I entered into to this fascinating journalistic accomplishment by Jessica Bruder. By dedicating some three years of her life traveling and genuinely befriending various mobile nomads, she was able to provide an important perspective on a unique way of life for a growing population that is too poor to afford housing. They are not homeless they are houseless, and the general optimism conveyed by the group is perhaps the most impressive part. They are of retirement age but did not manage to carve out that necessary three legged condition of the dream: "composed of Social Security, private pensions, and combined investments and savings." They are not lazy people, but people who worked minimum wage jobs or had financial difficulties after the housing bust of 2008, or got backed up in credit card debt or suffered from addiction-- there are many stories that contribute to their current situation, and the author does a nice job of painting them with a sympathetic, yet non-condescending brush. Linda May is her main focus, a 67 year old single mother who joins the workamper force,(see definition below),either hosting at a national park or suffering through stints of Amazon employment. Her dream is to build her own Earthship, a self sustained home built from dirt-filled tires and solar panels so that she can live without need from others. You can google the earthship nautilus, or the Greater World Earthship Community or even the famous convention where for two weeks in Quartzsite, Arizona, thousands of RVers meet to share stories and tips for how to live this life. Another important aspect of the book is its commentary of our changing society. The gap that exists between wealthy and the poor continues to turn into a chasm. Amazon has capitalized on these aging but uncomplaining workers, but even now in the news it is starting to get noticed for their unfavorable working expectations. “Starting with the younger baby boomers, each successive generation is now doing worse than previous generations in terms of their ability to retire without seeing a drop in living standards.” This trend towards living housefree is only getting bigger and the working poor continue to grow. It certainly makes me feel appreciative about my life.I will be curious to see the movie now, more especially because Francis McDormant will, I assume, be playing Linda May.Workampers are modern mobile travelers who take temporary jobs around the U.S. in exchange for a free campsite—usually including power, water and sewer connections—and perhaps a stipend. You may think that workamping is a modern phenomenon, but we come from a long, long tradition. We followed the Roman legions, sharpening swords and repairing armor. We roamed the new cities of America, fixing clocks and machines, repairing cookware, building stone walls for a penny a foot and all the hard cider we could drink. We followed the emigration west in our wagons with our tools and skills, sharpening knives, fixing anything that was broken, helping clear the land, roof the cabin, plow the fields and bring in the harvest for a meal and pocket money, then moving on to the next job. Our forebears are the tinkers. We have upgraded the tinker’s wagon to a comfortable motor coach or fifth-wheel trailer. Mostly retired now, we have added to our repertoire the skills of a lifetime in business. We can help run your shop, handle the front or back of the house, drive your trucks and forklifts, pick and pack your goods for shipment, fix your machines, coddle your computers and networks, work your beet harvest, landscape your grounds or clean your bathrooms. We are the techno-tinkers.“Jeff Bezos has predicted that, by the year 2020, one out of every four work campers in the United States will have worked for Amazon,”A recent poll suggests that Americans now fear outliving their assets more than they fear dying.After the New Deal, economists began referring to America’s retirement-finance model as a “three-legged stool.” This sturdy tripod was composed of Social Security, private pensions, and combined investments and savings.All of which is to say that Social Security is now the largest single source of income for most Americans sixty-five and older.(It’s sad—but not surprising—that teeth have become a status symbol in a country where more than one in three citizens lack dental coverage, which isn’t included with standard medical insurance.)The satirical website “Stuff White People Like” sums it up like this: If you find yourself trapped in the middle of the woods without electricity, running water, or a car you would likely describe that situation as a “nightmare” or “a worst-case scenario like after a plane crash or something.” White people refer to it as “camping.”When I stopped to use the restroom, the inside of my stall had a chart with a color palette ranging from pale yellow to terrifying puce. It instructed me to find the shade that matched my urine and suggested that I should be drinking more water.“I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops,” reflected the late writer Stephen Jay Gould. A deepening class divide makes social mobility all but impossible.Today the United States has the most unequal society of all developed nations. America’s level of inequality is comparable to that of Russia, China, Argentina, and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    “In America, if you don’t have an address, you’re not a real person.”This book is copyrighted 2017, and things have only gotten worse.In my town, Novato, CA, there have been a long string of RVs along Airport Road for a few years now. And a homeless encampment around our public library. I myself am a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, but my salary in this county (Marin County) qualifies me as low income. At one time, a mail carrier could own a home in this country and support a family on his/her lone income. Not anymore... "This is not a wage gap - it's a chasm."This book details the shame of the United States, its people being unable to afford housing. "Nomads", "houseless", or folks living in "wheel estate" because they can't afford a “stick-and-brick” home, or even the rent. They have to decide what they can pay for - food or dental work, mortgage or electricity, rent or student loan, warm clothes or gas to get to work? "When do impossible choices start to tear people - a society - apart?" Can’t get a raise? Live in your vehicle... You can be a workamper, “...modern mobile travelers who take temporary jobs around the U.S. in exchange for a free campsite...”! Fun, huh? Like “Grapes of Wrath” fun! But instead of picking fruit, a lot of these poor folks end up picking packages in Amazon warehouses. Which sounds tough too - “If I can do the Army, I can do Amazon.” And Amazon “reaps federal tax credits” for hiring them! SMH. Interesting how white privilege is part of this. Of course it is. Another, even worse, shame of the United States. I want to go to Quartzsite.“These mobile shelters are everywhere - an invisible city, hidden in plain sight.”
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fascinating accounting of the lifestyle chosen by many for whom the American Dream didn't come true. A transient community with seasonal work at low pay and no standard residence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In many ways, this is both a heart breaking and hopeful book. The people the author profiles are making the best of situations they find them selves in not because of bad choices, but because in the U.S. people are disposable. They have made bold choices and are willing to do things that no one should be asked to do, especially in a country with as much wealth as this one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Book provides knowledge about the culture of older Americans forced to work terrible jobs and live in vehicles...a slice of American culture that makes most of us cringe. It's long-term investigative journalism, or is it? We get to know several travelers and watch one climb out of it...others don't. I found the book well-written, interesting and thought compelling.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Nomadland by Jessica Bruder succeeds in providing knowledge about the culture of older Americans forced to work terrible jobs and live in vehicles. It's a story most readers likely are unfamiliar with, outside of the similarities it shares with tales of migrants from another time and place. These transient seniors are being employed by the droves at beet farms, amusement parks, and Amazon warehouses.As much an exploration of nomadic seniors, Nomadland is also a searing exploration of what goes on behind the doors at Amazon’s largest facilities. Given Amazon’s chokehold on the publishing industry, it’s a surprise they have allowed this book to exist. Of course, they are aware that even if the abysmal conditions of these facilities became known by the masses, the overwhelming majority would just say, “I can’t afford to go anywhere else.” (Which is frankly, for most us, complete bullshit.)Bruder’s politics are implied in Nomadland, but never touched upon directly. While this separation keeps the book from becoming one-sided, it also prevents it from becoming as damning as it might have otherwise been. I’m not saying one choice was better than the other, but I do think the lack of commitment shows, preventing the book from achieving its fullest potential.Lastly, I want to touch on Nomadland as a complete, banded work. Initially, I struggled to get into this book. The opening chapters lack a clear direction or narrative. It felt more like a string of magazine articles that were pieced together. Eventually, it does feel like Bruder found her story and begins to chase it, the random pieces gel into a semi-cohesive work. It’s not enough to really pull this narrative together, but it provides a sufficient survey of the subject.Recommended strongly for those who like journalistic writing or are particularly interested in economics, poverty, and sociology.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An expose of the multitudes of people, most older, who have left homes they can't afford and taken to a nomadic life moving from one temporary job to the next. It is depressing in that so many are living such difficult lives and uplifting in that many are not only managing but thriving.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book looks at a growing number of people, usually retirees. Not always by choice, they have abandoned their homes, and are living in a van or trailer or RV as they travel around America.Perhaps their savings disappeared during the Great Recession, or they are officially "underwater" on their mortgage (owing more than the house is worth). Regardless of the reason, they are living on Social Security as they travel around the country. There are several websites dedicated to the subject. It's possible to make friends with other such "vanampers."It is also possible to get temporary employment while living in your vehicle. A person, or couple, could, for instance, spend the summer as Camp Hosts at a campsite. Then they could spend a couple of months flipping burgers for a professional baseball team during spring training. More important than the modest pay is the chance to get a safe place to park the vehicle for a time. Then there is working for Amazon; they call the vanampers their "camperforce." Not all Amazon warehouses accept them; who wants to live in a van up north during the Christmas rush? It's normal to walk the equivalent of ten or twelve miles a day at an Amazon warehouse.There are many things to consider when living in a vehicle. The first night in your vehicle, parked in a parking lot, will be nerve-racking. You fear that any footsteps you hear will be vandals, or the police. A growing number of cities and states have taken to criminalize homelessness. If your vehicle is not set up for it, how do you go to the bathroom, or take a shower?This is a fascinating, and eye-opening, book. Many Americans are just one layoff, or hospital stay, away from joining the "vanampers." If such a thing is in your near future, start your preparations by reading this book. It is very much worth the time.