FromthebeetfieldsofNorthDakotatotheNationalForestcampgroundsofCaliforniatoAmazon’sCamperForceprograminTexas,employershavediscoveredanew,low-costlaborpool,madeuplargelyoftransientolderAmericans.Findingthatsocialsecuritycomesupshort,oftenunderwateronmortgages,theseinvisiblecasualtiesoftheGreatRecessionhavetakentotheroadbythetensofthousandsinlate-modelRVs,traveltrailers,andvans,formingagrowingcommunityofnomads.Onfrequentlytraveledroutesbetweenseasonaljobs,JessicaBrudermeetspeoplefromallwalksoflife:aformerprofessor,aMcDonald’svicepresident,aminister,acollegeadministrator,andamotorcyclecop,amongmanyothers--includingherirrepressibleprotagonist,aonetimecocktailwaitress,HomeDepotclerk,andgeneralcontractornamedLindaMay.Inasecondhandvehicleshechristens“VanHalen,“Bruderhitstheroadtogettoknowhersubjectsmoreintimately.AccompanyingLindaMayandothersfromcampgroundtoiletcleaningtowarehouseproductscanningtodesertreunions,thenmovingontothedangerousworkofbeetharvesting,Brudertellsacompelling,eye-openingtaleofthedarkunderbellyoftheAmericaneconomy--onethatforeshadowstheprecariousfuturethatmayawaitmanymoreofus.Atthesametime,shecelebratestheexceptionalresilienceandcreativityofthesequintessentialAmericanswhohavegivenupordinaryrootednesstosurvive.LikeLindaMay,whodreamsoffindinglandonwhichtobuildherownsustainable“Earthship“home,theyhavenotgivenuphope.
