pocketfullofjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
geve_'s review against another edition
4.0
I found this book pretty depressing. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be hopeful for not, but it def wasn't for me. It's all about people living in trailers or campers and moving from place to place, working odd jobs, working campsites but mostly working for fucking amazon, and getting paid JUST enough to continue to live. I thought this was going to be a bit more fun, but the author really gets bogged down in the negative, or maybe it's all just negative (I think it's the author, and I'll explain why at the end).
The book was pretty engaging, with lots of interesting characters, although, tbh, I think a lot of it is like watching a dumpster fire. You're just waiting for more horrible shit to fall on these people who are already at the bottom.
A couple moments really struck me:
1: One old woman, working at an amazon warehouse gets injured, WHILE WORKING. She says she's so happy that she doesn't get fired, and is touched that an amazon employee came to check on her. After she got hurt while working for amazon at an amazon warehouse. THEN she says she wondered at first why amazon would hire so many old people for such physical work, where it would be preferable to have younger bodies doing it. She then said its cause her generation are reliable and will always work. Holy fucking brainwashing. This person doesn't even think enough of herself as a human that it's the absolute bare minimum that her boss would check on her after her injury at work. WTF. Then she really thinks they're getting hired because they're so good at working and not that the younger generations aren't going to take the abuse. Such a sad and scary mind set, and also one of the reasons why these companies get away with this shit, workers don't realize they're in an abusive relationship yet.
2: It was interesting hearing some of the van dwellers being really judgy about homeless people, in particular one person who was very nearly homeless. Like they still thrive on a hierarchical system where they think they're not at the bottom, and THOSE people who can't even afford a car to live in are the real bad ones. Just sad.
So, I think this was pretty well written and presented. The author def emphasizes the negative I think, and it really hit me at the end. When the main person she follows throughout this whole thing buys her land, but isn't able to go in person because she has to work at amazon, so the author goes out to tour the land. All the while she's going on and on about how worried she is for this woman and thinking about all the bad things that could happen, like an overbearing parent. I really cringed at that part, like let this woman live her own life bro.
In addition, I didn't enjoy the final little bit. I don't live when the author inserts themselves, and I get that this person followed these people for years, but I'd rather a more unbiased approach. The author gives a final push against income inequality that really fell flat for me. I am obviously aware of and opposed to income inequality, but this whole system felt far deeper than the superficial analysis given at the end. I would have rather the rest of the book stood on its own as the evidence of the issue before us.
All in all, this was a pretty interesting and good read.
The book was pretty engaging, with lots of interesting characters, although, tbh, I think a lot of it is like watching a dumpster fire. You're just waiting for more horrible shit to fall on these people who are already at the bottom.
A couple moments really struck me:
Spoiler
1: One old woman, working at an amazon warehouse gets injured, WHILE WORKING. She says she's so happy that she doesn't get fired, and is touched that an amazon employee came to check on her. After she got hurt while working for amazon at an amazon warehouse. THEN she says she wondered at first why amazon would hire so many old people for such physical work, where it would be preferable to have younger bodies doing it. She then said its cause her generation are reliable and will always work. Holy fucking brainwashing. This person doesn't even think enough of herself as a human that it's the absolute bare minimum that her boss would check on her after her injury at work. WTF. Then she really thinks they're getting hired because they're so good at working and not that the younger generations aren't going to take the abuse. Such a sad and scary mind set, and also one of the reasons why these companies get away with this shit, workers don't realize they're in an abusive relationship yet.
2: It was interesting hearing some of the van dwellers being really judgy about homeless people, in particular one person who was very nearly homeless. Like they still thrive on a hierarchical system where they think they're not at the bottom, and THOSE people who can't even afford a car to live in are the real bad ones. Just sad.
So, I think this was pretty well written and presented. The author def emphasizes the negative I think, and it really hit me at the end. When the main person she follows throughout this whole thing buys her land, but isn't able to go in person because she has to work at amazon, so the author goes out to tour the land. All the while she's going on and on about how worried she is for this woman and thinking about all the bad things that could happen, like an overbearing parent. I really cringed at that part, like let this woman live her own life bro.
In addition, I didn't enjoy the final little bit. I don't live when the author inserts themselves, and I get that this person followed these people for years, but I'd rather a more unbiased approach. The author gives a final push against income inequality that really fell flat for me. I am obviously aware of and opposed to income inequality, but this whole system felt far deeper than the superficial analysis given at the end. I would have rather the rest of the book stood on its own as the evidence of the issue before us.
All in all, this was a pretty interesting and good read.
deeofbkb's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
storytold's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this—it gave a detailed, compassionate look at how many white seniors in America are turning to a nomadic lifestyle with the loss of the post-New Deal construction of retirement for a dissolving middle class. I liked that the author tried the seasonal work herself, and that she was honest about how quickly she threw in the towel; I liked that she acknowledged that the majority of people living this life as she encountered it are white. I especially liked the historical elements that provided context to some of the things she was discussing, especially around how new the concept of retirement truly is and how life for American seniors will continue to be reinvented as time goes on. The narrative lost steam through parts, but it was eminently readable—I got through it in one day. I'll easily pick up anything else by this author and I found this book both informative and fascinating.
spiderfelt's review against another edition
4.0
It was difficult to hear anything but misery in the stories Bruder related in this book. She reported the realities of daily life for people struggling to survive on the road in their vehicles. It was eye-opening and sobering. If I wasn't already a critic of Amazon, this book solidified my feelings. Perhaps I was naive, but I found it shocking to learn the extreme working conditions CamperForce are expected to endure.
offquilter's review against another edition
4.0
This was an insightful look at the community were on the verge of joining. Anyone considering nomadic life should read it.
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
Audio
This isn't a *I really Like it* 4 star book for its fun nature and ability to transport me to a wonderous place. I give this 4 stars because of the sobering look at these mostly retirement age folks who have no option but to live as itinerant workers at amazon warehouses, camp hosts, sugar beet harvest workers or amusement park workers. These folks choose to live in camper vans as a way to still have a home. They are seemingly taken advantage of for their "work ethic" but in fact it is because they are desperate. Yet they band together in person and on line looking out for each other with tips on survival.
It really makes you think and perhaps change your mind about what your preconceived notions are about itinerant workers.
This isn't a *I really Like it* 4 star book for its fun nature and ability to transport me to a wonderous place. I give this 4 stars because of the sobering look at these mostly retirement age folks who have no option but to live as itinerant workers at amazon warehouses, camp hosts, sugar beet harvest workers or amusement park workers. These folks choose to live in camper vans as a way to still have a home. They are seemingly taken advantage of for their "work ethic" but in fact it is because they are desperate. Yet they band together in person and on line looking out for each other with tips on survival.
It really makes you think and perhaps change your mind about what your preconceived notions are about itinerant workers.