First published 2021
Jessica Bruder exposes a hidden workforce of older Americans who lost their economic footing during the Great Recession. These workers travel from North Dakota's beet fields to California campgrounds to Amazon warehouses in Texas, living in RVs and converted vans while chasing seasonal employment. Bruder documents how companies exploit this mobile labor pool of transient seniors who cannot afford traditional housing. She reveals the harsh economics that force people into nomadic lives while showing their remarkable adaptability. The book uncovers a growing underclass that signals broader economic instability facing American workers. Bruder balances criticism of exploitative labor practices with respect for the ingenuity and determination of people who refuse to surrender despite systemic failures. Her reporting illuminates both corporate opportunism and human resilience in equal measure.
Genres: economics, social-issues, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: corporate-opportunism, human-resilience
Setting: North Dakota, California, Texas
Period: Great Recession
273 pages · Paperback · W. W. Norton Company