It is no secret that the glitter and glamour of the US, like Hollywood sets, is a facade behind which lurk some uncomfortable realities. It is small consolation that this is the case with many nations. This book focuses on one of the least-known truths about the post-recession US: a vast number of people were affected in unimaginable ways. They have temporary jobs, live in RVs, and live nomadic lives. Businesses and industries find in them cheap labor without going to Bangladesh or Vietnam. The activist-journalist who wrote the book lived in an RV herself, meeting and interviewing hundreds of these new nomads. This eye-opening book, written with care and compassion, should make all Americans angry and embarrassed that this could happen in the richest country in the world. It may also make them proud that so many of their compatriots whose lives radically changed for the worse are coping with the new status quo gracefully and with hardiness. This is a moving book. One would hope that congressional representatives and senators, business people, and Wall Street leaders will read this book and resolve to clean up the dirty linen that has been exposed for all to see. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

--V. V. Raman, emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology

Varadaraja V. Raman

emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology

Expanding an eye-opening Harper's cover story showing that many Americans can no longer afford to quit work during the so-called golden years, Bruder introduces us to an intrepid bunch that take to their RVs to become migrant laborers, or "workampers."

What do you do when your mortgage is underwater, when a divorce or medical catastrophe depletes your savings, or when your anticipated retirement becomes financially impossible? A growing number of Americans address these crushing challenges by taking to the road, with an RV, van, or even a small car as their permanent home. Journalist Bruder joined these contemporary nomads, known as van-dwellers or "workampers." She closely follows Linda, in her mid-60s and traveling between jobs at an Amazon warehouse and a park campground. Linda and her growing "vanily" (van-dweller family) run the gamut of ages and backstories, though there is a preponderance of older people who are unable to retire and work physically strenuous, low-wage jobs to get by. Bruder touches on the deep social stigma of homelessness (van-dwellers fiercely reject that description), the surprisingly short history of the concept of retirement, the rarity of van-dwellers of color, and strategies for docking in plain sight in urban areas and finding a safe haven in rural areas. The people she meets exhibit pride, grit, resourcefulness, resilience, and, profoundly, the elation of freedom mingled with the terror of being one mechanical breakdown away from ruin. VERDICT A must-read that is simultaneously hopeless and uplifting and certainly unforgettable.—Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Lib. of Ohio, Columbus

Journalist Bruder (Burning Book) expands on an article originally published in Harper's where she examined the phenomenon of aging Americans adjusting to an economic climate in which they can't afford to retire. Many among them have discarded "stick and brick" traditional homes for "wheel estate" in the form of converted vans and RVs and have formed a nomadic culture of "workampers," evoking the desperate resourcefulness of those who lived through the Great Depression. Bruder follows her subjects as they harvest sugar beets, work at Amazon fulfillment centers during the holidays, and act as campground hosts. She conducts extensive interviews, attends the workampers' gatherings, and tests out survival tips, to the point where she makes "houselessness"—a lifestyle born out of necessity and compromise—seem like a new form of freedom, with its own kind of appeal. Of course, she also addresses the often-crushing financial and social circumstances in which these people live, and pointedly touches on the racial considerations that make this nomadic lifestyle a predominantly white trend. Tracing individuals throughout their journeys from coast to coast, Bruder conveys the phenomenon's human element, making this sociological study intimate, personal, and entertaining, even as the author critiques the economic factors behind the trend. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary Agency. (Sept.)