Book Review: 'Nomadland' by Jessica Bruder

✰✰✰✰½ Imagine suddenly finding yourself unemployed and houseless. Many Americans have found themselves in just this predicament and have turned to living the nomadic vanlife. Chasing seasonal jobs and warmer weather, this resilient group of people fly under the radar to eke out a living.

Being itinerant is not easy. One must constantly keep moving and figuring out how to get by with very little. What makes this story even more fascinating is the fact that many of these people are older adults. Instead of living out their retirement years in comfort, they are trying to stretch out their meager finances while living on the road. This is truly an interesting read that gets one thinking about their own future.

The Bottom Line: This book was both easy to read and fascinating. I quickly became invested in learning about the main characters' lives and wondering how they were doing. What struck me is that these are regular people just like me. Many have worked hard their entire lives. Yet, one stroke of bad luck can quickly change your future plans. I was surprised that this book was so engaging, and I appreciated how the author immersed herself in the nomadic community. Highly recommended reading for everyone. This would be great reading for college students as well.

Book Club Notes: So far, this title has been one of the group’s most favorite books since we began meeting in 2017. We respected that the author actually “lived the life” without being judgmental. This was a world outside our own experience filled with lots of obstacles and prejudice. It’s a solitary existence. Bruder obviously had done deep research on the topic. Additionally, she was able to get first-hand experiences from many of the people she met along the way. The personal experiences that were related were eye opening.

It was interesting to see how social media started playing a role in people’s lives during that time as well. How social media contributed to people communicating and helping each other out.

On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, the book garnered an average rating of 4.6 stars. Ratings ranged from 4 - 5. Sadly, several of the group did not have a chance to watch the movie. Those that did rated it much lower than the book; the movie came in with an average rating of 3.25. Ratings ranged from 3 - 3.5.

What’s really interesting about the movie is that several of the people from the book played themselves. It was really cool “meeting” those people on the big screen. For further reading, check out these articles from Fodor's Travel and Time Magazine.

Book discussion questions can be found at Norton and PBS. Also, check out the insights & questions from Blanche's Book Club.

Details: Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century by Jessica Bruder. Paperback published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2017. 288 p. ISBN: 978-0-393-35631-1 

Book Review: 'The Lost City of Z' by David Grann

✰✰✰½ When legendary explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett set out to find the mythical City of Z, it seemed the whole world was following his progress. When he didn’t check in as planned, the mystery behind the man and his trek became an obsession for many. To this day, people wonder exactly what happened to the man and his son, who were never heard from again. Read along as the author explores the man behind the mystery and takes his own trek into the deadly wilderness to get a first-hand look at what may have happened a century ago.

The Bottom Line: This book reads like a double adventure. First there is the mystery behind what happened to legendary explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett. Then there is the author’s own trek into the Amazon. Since this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to the Amazon, I was fascinated to learn about the local landscape as the author made his way into the jungle. Intriguing black and white photos are included, but I would have appreciated more. Chock full of interesting details, this book is a dense read, so set aside ample time to enjoy it. If reading books about adventures, thrills, and travel into uncharted territories appeals to you, then this is just the book for you.

Book Club Notes: Oh, the discussion for this one was fascinating and lively. Our group enjoyed the tenacious spirit of the explorer as well as the scope of the book and the story itself. It read like a journey, but we agreed the title was a bit deceptive. Perhaps a better title might have been something like “Fawcett’s Obsession.” We learned a lot about the Amazon and enjoyed the in-depth description of the characters. We also discussed how the author mirrored Fawcett’s obsession.

On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, ratings for the book ranged from 3 - 4.25 and garnered an average rating of 3.4. What brought the ratings down? Mostly it was the ending, or shall I say, the lack of one. Quite honestly, the book fizzled out, and several of us felt let down. It was so anticlimactic. Another problem was the writing style, which did a lot of time jumping and could be confusing to some readers.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable and entertaining, but could also be misleading. While the author was a main character of the book, there is not mention of him in the movie. The movie is based solely on the subject of Fawcett and his explorations. The movie also includes several scenes which are purely fiction. The omission of Jack Fawcett's friend, Raleigh Rimmell, from the final trek was an interesting choice, and the ending of the movie is open to interpretation.

Ratings for the movie ranged from 2 - 3, with an average of 2.8. I think this is one of the lowest ratings we’ve had for a movie.

If you enjoy books about obsession and exotic landscapes, check this out. It’s perfect for armchair travelers (like our group), who don’t like hot weather or bugs or fish with teeth.

Book discussion questions are available at LitLovers, Penguin Random House, and BookRags.

Details: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann. Paperback published by Vintage Departures in 2010. 352 P. ISBN: 978-1-4000-7845-5