While nonfiction, this book is scarier than any horror book. It is frighteningly true, and a growing problem in our country. Due to the rising cost of housing, many people fifty or older are one or two life events away from living in their vehicle. Jessica Bruder covers this issue in an immersive- reporter fashion, adopting the lifestyle on and off for three years. She meets and describes memorable and kind people, depicting their challenges, circumstances, and aspirations. They want what we all want— security and community. They are hard working, creative, gutsy. They could easily be any of us.

Due to an expensive medical emergency, divorce, foreclosure, recession-driven job loss (2008 especially), or loss of retirement savings (think Enron, for example), many faced a choice between paying rent or taxes and buying food or prescriptions. In response, many bought a motor home or other vehicle they could adapt to make livable, then hit the road in search of seasonal work and a place to park. Once you hit fifty, it becomes difficult to find a job— at sixty, almost impossible. Low wage seasonal work is often the only alternative, but it can be soul-sucking and body breaking. Amazon’s CamperForce program, employing seasonal help in their warehouses during the Christmas rush is an example. California Land Management hires seasonal workers as camp hosts— essentially people who scrub the toilets, clean campsites, and oversee campers, enforcing safety and community rules. Most jobs pay below minimum wage, and have very long hours, but provide a place to park their "home” and grab a shower.

Bruder writes about the social get-togethers (GTGs) that help provide community and ideas for surviving the lifestyle. CheapRVLiving.com, run by Bob Wells, led to the annual Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR), a two week GTG in January at Quartzsite, Arizona. There you can attend seminars in all manner of survival skills, a job fair, as well as social events. Skills sessions include how to rig a solar panel on your vehicle, safest places to boondock (park safely for a few nights), and how to handle “the knock” (when a police officer or other person suspects you are living in your vehicle, and knocks, often in the night.) Personal safety is a constant theme.

The problem grows year by year, as the numbers of “houseless” due to financial instability continues to grow. Cities and suburbs have increasingly restrictive laws and ordinances against parking these vehicles. Bruder is not talking about snowbirds, those retired people who travel north to escape heat and south to escape winter. These are people over fifty who have no economic safety net, for whom life has been suddenly, starkly difficult, and are doing their best to remain independent and self-sufficient. It is a symptom of a broken economic system, when people over 60 are forced to chase low wage jobs to survive. These are proudly hard working people, who would rather go off and shoot themselves than have to rely on anyone but themselves (and Bruder has documented this.)

I am looking forward to seeing the movie based on this book, starring Frances McDormand. The movie is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Movie and Best Actress. This could be the best nonfiction book of the year, although it came out in 2017, and was a NY Times notable book. The movie has helped shine a light on a worthwhile read, and a serious problem. I highly recommend this book.