Nomadland Exposes the Middle-Class Rip-Off

[cinematicdiversions]

48. The book was non-fiction. I don't recall many if any widows

Plenty of people who had decent jobs, a house, and some savings and set it all on fire ten years before retirement.

from a review....

She also knows how to weave a tale and there are some harrowing moments while the elderly battle out of control robots, flash floods, and gangs of meth addicts in the Salton Sea. (Of note the out of control robots were in the Amazon Fulfillment Warehouse but still.)



More problematic is the stories left half told. We are introduced to plenty of people whose stories are he was a VP of product development at McDonald's she was an international lawyer then 2008 happened and now they are living out of their van. This begs for a detailed follow-up and autopsy. Why did they collapse so dramatically when others held on and pulled through? (Pro-tip Midlife crisis divorces are a bad idea)


There is also a delightful rant about minimalism by the main person she follows. There is a sense that possessions can easily start owning you as much as you own them. Yet all the van-dweller meet-ups are followed by various salesman hawking everything from magic crystals to Ginsu knives. Jessica is too kind to overtly pop the bubble of self-delusion among her subjects. She seems to stick to the facts and admires their tireless hard work and enthusiasm. One can read that as an inspirational tale or one can heed the warnings. To the author's credit, she leaves that up to you. (less)