The people in Jessica Bruder's "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century" aren't homeless, just houseless.
Following the Great Recession, a growing number of older adults have taken to the roads as travelling workers. This year's One Read pick tells their stories and examines how the American economy got to this point.
"One Read provides opportunities for us to connect as a community, with a book as the catalyst for that connection." One Read co-chair Lauren Williams said. "'Nomadland' is a great choice for One Read, since many of us continue to experience fallout from the Great Recession. This book provides a first-hand look into how a growing group of older Americans is coping by abandoning the dream of a white picket fence and building a life on the road."
Each year, the Daniel Boone Regional Library and Callaway County Public Library team up with area colleges and businesses for a community-wide book club. This is the 18th year of One Read.
Last November, the library received 160 suggestions for what to read in 2019, and this April, 472 people voted for their preferred title. The One Read reading panel, made up of community members from Boone and Callaway counties and library staff, narrowed the list of suggested books to 10. After reading each book, the committee selected two titles for the public to vote on in April. The other title considered this year was the novel "Sourdough" by Robin Sloan.
In September, the libraries and colleges will host a number of events, lectures and activities themed around "Nomadland".
In "Nomadland" Bruder hits the road with nomadic workers who travel from one temporary job to another to make ends meet.
"It's a great work of immersive journalism," Williams said. "She drives thousands of miles in a van of her own."
Working long hours at beet harvests and walking miles in Amazon warehouses, these mostly older Americans live in their RVs, cars or vans and represent an increasing population of migrant workers living just this side of homelessness.
Bruder critiques the current economy and celebrates the ingenuity of her subjects.
"There's a lot of insight into the resourcefulness of these folks: the way they've MacGuyvered their vehicles into functional living spaces," Williams said.
"Nomadland" was named a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Library Journal Top Ten Book in 2017.
Bruder is an award-winning journalist whose work focuses on subcultures and the dark corners of the economy. She has written for Harper's Magazine, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Bruder teaches narrative storytelling at Columbia Journalism School and lives in Brooklyn with her dog, Max.
She will be in Columbia on Sept. 24 for the One Read author Talk at Columbia College's Launer Auditorium. The talk will be live-streamed to the Callaway County Public Library.
As in years past, CCPL is purchasing plenty of copies of "Nomadland" for checkout at the library. It's available in alternative formats including large print and CD audiobook.
Plus, thanks to a special deal with the publisher, there will be no waiting list to check the book out as an ebook or downloadable audiobook on Overdrive. "Nomadland" will be available on Overdrive beginning June 1.
Now, One Read Task Force members face the job of planning a variety of events that fit the book's themes and are interesting for all ages. As usual, there will be art and writing contests. The book is thematically rich, Williams said; event topics could include things like eco-friendly living, retirement planning, migrant labor and chosen families.
To learn more about One Read, visit oneread.dbrl.org. Keep an eye out for more news about upcoming One Read events.