Book Notes | 'Nomadland'
The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies reported in a study released in May 2020 that only 40 percent of baby boomers had $250,000 or more saved for retirement. A staggering 19 percent of baby boomers in this study had less than $25,000. Due to recent declines in the stock market, this situation has most likely worsened. What does the life of some of the poorest retirees look like?
Jessica Bruder, in her book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, chronicles the lives of some of these retirees. For several years, she followed a group of retirees who lived in their vehicles, everything from small cars to worn out RVs, as they tried to piece together a subsistence lifestyle. They worked as camp hosts for the National Park Service, labored at the American Crystal Sugar's beet harvest in Minnesota, and took jobs during the busy season at Amazon warehouses, called fulfillment centers.
These organizations and others take full advantage of this demographic for their work ethic and ability to pass a drug test. The book chronicles the challenges, the hardships, and the community these modern nomads create for themselves.
Houseless, not homeless
Overall, UMRA Book Club I members thought the book was important and they appreciated reading it. Several members commented on the fact that the people in the book saw themselves not as homeless but “houseless,” and created a caring community of people who willingly shared their knowledge and skills.
Book Club members expressed concern about how, as a society, we can allow people to work full-time while not earning a living wage. Also, how workers are responsible for saving for their own retirement years without being given the most basic skills to understand how to save. Many of us wondered what happens when these people get too old or disabled to work at physically demanding jobs.
A couple members drew parallels between this book and the 2001 book Nickeled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. The situation has not changed. Furthermore, many of the people living like this are hiding in plain sight. We just don't see them, even though they may be camped in a secluded parking lot nearby and/or working as the clerk checking us out at our local Target.
The book was adapted into the 2020 film of the same name, which was awarded the Academy Award for Best Picture.
—Laura Ericksen, UMRA Book Club I member
Book Club I to meet February 17
Fri, Feb 17 2023, 2pm
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 17.
Email Pat Tollefson for more information, including suggestions for starting a new book club.
Upcoming Events
Joni Mitchell will lead the discussion of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne when the UMRA book club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 19.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted substantial debate recently because it can be used in many contexts, including educational settings to do things such as answer exam questions and write papers. But what is generative AI? And how can we know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing? Law School Professor Daniel Schwarcz will enlighten us during UMRA’s Luncheon Forum on April 23.
UMRA’s spring Armchair Traveler Program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, will take us to South Korea with Marilyn DeLong and to Germany with Lynn C. Anderson. Please mark your calendars and save the date.
Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.
We are fortunate to have Peter Moe, UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director, to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6! Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
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Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.