Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century

work by Bruder

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July 22, 2026

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Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century is a nonfiction book by Jessica Bruder that explores the lives of Americans, primarily retirees, who live in vans and travel the country seeking low-paying jobs. This lifestyle is a form of nomadism, a way of life characterized by periodic or cyclical movement rather than permanent settlement.12

The book inspired the Academy Award-winning film Nomadland (2020), directed by Chloé Zhao, which features Frances McDormand as a fictional character embodying this nomadic existence. Nomadism itself encompasses various forms, including hunters-gatherers, pastoral nomads, and tinker or trader nomads. However, in the 20th century, nomadism has seen a decline due to economic shifts, industrial growth, and government policies.123

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Chloé Zhao
Nomadland
The book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century (2017), caught the attention of actress Frances McDormand, who also admired the movie The Rider. McDormand collaborated with Zhao to produce Nomadland (2020), in which McDormand played the fictional character Fern, a widow who takes to the road…
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The book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century (2017), caught the attention of actress Frances McDormand, who also admired the movie The Rider. McDormand collaborated with Zhao to produce Nomadland (2020), in which McDormand played the fictional character Fern, a widow who takes to the road…
Read More