Welcome to Litsy!

I adored these vandwellers and their spirit and I‘m so fascinated about this lifestyle! I love the adventure and getting away from the materialisticness life has become. For many though, it‘s survival. I spent a lot of time googling Earthship, Amazon‘s CamperForce, Workampers and Quartzite Az. I wouldn‘t make it a week at Amazon during the holidays but working a state forest as a camp host is intriguing. This is really a fascinating read!

19th book for this year…yay!

Picked up these from a Little Free Library on my way to ballet yesterday. I did 4 hours so I‘m a bit sore today. Might go for a dip in the ocean later to recover.

My goal is to just finish a book.

#joysofjune #readathon
@Andrew65

Today is a rest and read day.
And doing the odd bit of washing kinda day.
I don't feel like being very sociable today so I'm staying in my room, 20 pages in on Nomadland it's not too bad. It's full of stories about why people choose van life some is for freedom and other's its about their financial situations.

#vanlife
#nomad
#ontheroadbooks
#travellife
#reading
#reallifestories

October #12booksin2022 I read Free Food for Millionaires this month too which I LOVED but this book BLEW MY MIND! People need to read more and stop being so crazy! Also public education, health care need to be fully funded for everyone! Enough of this American dream shit. Take care of each other, it‘s not weakness. It‘s community and society

Interesting story of a group of vandwellers and the movement overall. Book is five years old (and now a major motion picture) so I assume the movement is even more developed now as it is a changing culture. I enjoy learning about different ways of life and unique and interesting people.

Audio Lego-ing is the best!

The housing collapse and shoddy controls on the US finance market created this predominantly retirement aged transient work force. The middle class that lost their foothold with one misstep that snow balled into traditional homelessness
It‘s heartbreaking and shocking that a first world country has created and maintains a third world workforce. Amazon is a kingpin

Honest to god I‘m finding it very difficult to have positive feelings for the US

Quite disappointing...

While the subject matter is interesting, the delivery is lacking. First, the timeline of events is not well defined (no chronological order), then the structure of the book in itself isn't satisfactory neither. I feel like Jessica Bruder didn't really know where her book was leading, or the points she was wanting to make.

Eye opening and heartbreaking
But didn‘t hold my interest as much as other investigative reporting books like Evicted and Invisible Child
#bookspinbingo
#july2022

I really enjoyed this one. It makes you ponder what‘s truly happening in the US.

A re-read and very good. I wonder how all these people faired through Covid and the pandemic? If you haven‘t read it you should. All of this is probably just as pertinent today as it was when it was first written! 5 stars.

Following several “nomads” through their journey being houseless, the exploration of community at the edges of more visible society was illuminating. At times too detailed and repetitive, overall a good book that treated those that shared their stories with respect.

An interesting take on how cost of living, recessions, and Amazon have created communities of gypsies around America, particularly in the NW and SW areas of the country.

Omg this book is an eye opener I‘m halfway through with it! Have you read it? What are your thoughts! I don‘t care for Amazon now lol!

Absolutely gripping: interweaving the story of a woman who went from a house to a “nomadic” life in a trailer with a broader analysis of people in a housing crisis moving to vans and mobile homes, economic and housing challenges that led to this need, how they live as Amazon employees in the parking lot, park staff, or “stealthy” urbanites, and their strong mutually supportive culture.
#Booked2021 #haspictures
#Nonfiction2021 #Friendship

Travelling to Northern Ireland again, for a whole week off work (after 3 really busy intense weeks at work). Treated myself to a couple of books at the airport bookshop as a reward to surviving tht last month at work.

#midyearfaves Day 8 It will come as no surprise that this is one of my favorites of the year. I've raved about Bruder's book in several posts. I will say that if you have watched the movie but not read the book, please do read it. There is an entire dimension that is important to the book that is barely addressed in the movie. I can't wait to see what Bruder's next project will be.

Journalist Jessica Bruder documents the growing class of elderly precariat attempting to escape ever increasing rents for a life on the road, with only the support of other nomads, dodging urban vehicle camping laws and often sacrificing their already dwindling health to work seasonal jobs as sugar beet harvesters or in one of Amazon‘s sprawling fulfillment centers. Bruder adopts the lifestyle herself along the way. Good, but depressing read.

Interesting story about the “houseless“; those who live nomadically in the US to survive while working sporadic temporary jobs. I learned a lot and now appreciate and understand the lives these folks live, mostly out of necessity than desire. I listened to it on Audio which might not have been the best telling; I didn't love the narration. The book did seem a bit repetitive as well but overall worth the read.

Interesting story about the “houseless“; those who live nomadically in the US to survive while working sporadic temporary jobs. I learned a lot and now appreciate and understand the lives these folks live, mostly out of necessity than desire. I listened to it on Audio which might not have been the best telling; I didn't love the narration. The book did seem a bit repetitive as well but overall worth the read.

While I enjoyed this book, it was not as utterly engrossing as I was expecting. I found myself appreciating the information, but then being ok without picking it up for days at a time. It‘s a good window into the financial realities of people being pushed into a nomadic lifestyle and an important window to look through, so I‘m glad it‘s out there.

The individuals profiled in Bruder's unforgettable book might seem #meek but it's their resilience & generosity towards fellow van dwellers that sees them through. As aesthetically pleasing as the movie is, & impressive McDormand's performance, if you haven't read the book I highly recommend.
The following Vulture article perfectly expresses my frustrations with the movie:
https://www.vulture.com/article/nomadland-amazon-warehouse-chloe-zhao.html

This book is between “pick” and “so-so”. It may be that I was distracted by the recent outside world I found that this book is not as good as what I expected. It is dry sometimes. However, the contents over all are still worth your time!

#weeklyforecast

Here‘s a small part of my TBR cart (there are TBR shelves as well of course!)

I‘m already more than halfway through Nomadland and loving it. I‘m also going to start on Patsy shortly as that‘s my #doublespin book.

After that I‘m not really sure..... oh, I‘m listening to On Chapel Sands on audio too.

Hope everyone has a great week!

This movie! So good. The actress is incredible as is the scenery of course. The truth is raw. Very raw. Sometimes I think the US and Europe don‘t differ that much, sometimes (like now) I feel like they are worlds apart. I must read the book.

Jessica Bruder documents what appears to be a marginal subculture, vandwellers who travel across the country in assorted vehicles as they work low wage seasonal jobs. As she documents, the numbers of individuals adapting to this lifestyle exploded after the financial crisis of '08. Bruder spent 3 years researching this book & it really shows in the complexity of the people that she portrays. They are not a homogenous economic class forced to👇

My current read, a nf about workers forced to travel great distances for difficult temporary work & little pay definitely fits today's prompt.
#migrates #maycharacters @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Journalist Jessica Bruder interviewed seniors who travel between seasonal jobs in the USA, living in cars, vans, motorhomes & trailers. It‘s a huge number of people. Many fell on hard times as a result of the 2008 housing collapse. They refer to themselves as “houseless” rather than homeless. The work is hard & the pay is low: 40 hours a week at minimum wage can add up to as little as $17,000 per year. I‘m keen to see the film. #Audiobook

A temp firm called Express Employment Professionals sought labourers for the annual sugar beet harvest. “If you‘re willing to fill out an application, then you‘re hired for the coming season,” the recruiter told me. “We would hire you today.”

(Internet photo)

Could happen to anyone.Folks live on min.wage, or their social security is quite small.If you look at the rents in most cities,there is a tipping point where places become too costly.Though this community looks after each other & are very resourceful, the temporary jobs they move in & out of are physically challenging even for younger folks.The system is a set up for taking advantage of them , they will be moving on.Loved the film too.Essential.👇

Heartbreaking and inspiring. Middle aged and seniors eking out an existence on their own terms. The adventure, the ingenuity, the friendships right along the tales of loss, broken bodies and illness and neverending financial worry. Surviving America.

#SpringSentiments half way through this book & to say their lives are a little #precarious is an understatement.Many people turn to the road as the reality of affordable housing in our age slips away.Many never had a retirement account or lost all value in their homes during the housing crash .A woman who worked all her life has social security totaling $500. Most follow temp jobs,often the group passes the hat if someone needs a tire or gas .

This is way more of a bummer than I figured it would be... I don‘t know why I wasn‘t expecting that. They‘re talking about the ways these seniors are exploited working for Amazon and I‘m here.. listening... on audible. 🤐

The book was well researched and written but the very brief explicit nod to structural racism 2/3 of the way through the text felt obligatory, and did not make up for the lack of conversation around race and the privilege that whiteness provides for those that live this mobile/van lifestyle.

March 2021 - read before watch non fiction - really enjoyed and will own. Great to share with friends to discuss things. Should read with evicted

Today‘s #bookmail 😁👍

The Roasting Tin was a prize from Penguin Bookmarks for reaching a certain badge level. There were 6 books to choose from but I‘d read a couple already and didn‘t fancy some others - this looks rather yummy!

I‘ve wanted to read Nomadland for a while now and don‘t usually like movie tie-in covers but this was cheap(ish) on Amazon so why not?!

Bruder tells the fascinating story of the many - often older - Americans who live in trailers, RVs and cars, by choice or by necessity, and travel across the country for work, camaraderie and adventure.

Read March 24-29
Rated 4.5/5 ⭐️
Book 19/60

A traveling journalist peels off the veneer of American “middle class coziness“ and reveals a particularly interesting subculture whose members attempt to minimize debt and omit rent by living in camper vans, RVs, truck beds and cars. This account relates the joys of the freedom living off-grid, but also the desperate lows of trying to sustain oneself in an economy that, for 98% of its citizenry, demands much but offers little in return.

At times, inspiring and anxiety provoking.

#booked2021
#containsphotos

Interesting book. I‘ve must admit that I didn‘t realize there were so many older adults following seasonal work to survive. Some of the jobs sound brutal, especially for older people. I found it intriguing that many of those who have embraced this lifestyle don‘t consider themselves to be homeless, but rather “houseless” and it is an important distinction for them.

I finally braved Target to spend a gift card I‘ve had forever!

This took me quite a while to read considering its length. I could only digest it in bits and pieces and then had to set it aside for something less depressing. I greatly appreciated the care Bruder took with her subjects and only wish our country had shown them the same. Very sobering.

Anyone seen both the film and read the book? How do they compare?

I just watched the movie because I love McDormand‘s acting! Now I‘m intrigued by the book - clearly the screen writer had to create a composite character to capture the essence of older American van life.

I recommend the film - it‘s out on Hulu. Very contemplative.

The movie is on Hulu.

https://youtu.be/6sxCFZ8_d84

I had no idea they made a movie out of this book. It‘s such a good book. Frances McDormand plays one of the individuals the book follows as she navigates van life and working at Amazon. I never thought they could make a movie from this, but the trailer looks like they‘ve done a great job. https://youtu.be/6sxCFZ8_d84

A chilling reminder that the capitalist system that we live in can disappoint us.

Read this for #nonfiction2021 #somethingaboutcommunity . I really am amazed at how people bounce back and form communities in the face of adversity.