Nevermore: Nomadland, Caste, Hired Man, Fuzzy Nation

 

Our first reader this week reviewed the best-selling non-fiction book Nomadland by Jessica Bruder.  This  fascinating book details a part of the American workforce that few of us will hear about or encounter – the houseless: transient older Americans who have permanently hit the road in search of temporary jobs at Amazon, the National Forest campgrounds, and the North Dakota beet fields to name a few.  These people come from all walks of life and have resilience, grit, creativity and a fierce work ethic in common.  The author spent three years with the subjects of this book, and tells a compelling tale of this underbelly of the American work-force.  Our reader highly recommends this look at the dystopian present of living without livable wages.

 

Next up was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson.  Our reader borrowed this book through TN READS and says that it is such a good book that she must have a physical copy of it.   This Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling non-fiction book looks at the hidden concept of caste in American life and its destructive effects, both from a historical viewpoint, and in the modern era.  Our reader believes that every American, especially every White American should read this book to see how this concept has permeated our culture and how to fight back against it.  This book is highly, highly recommended.    

 

Our next reader reviewed The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna.  Our reader stated that although this book is by the same author as Happiness, it is a more difficult read.  This novel takes place in Croatia and examines the repercussions of war both on the society as a whole, but more importantly on the individuals who participate and live through it.  Our reader commented that this book takes a hard look at civil war and saw the parallels between what happened in the Balkan region and what is happening in America today.  She recommends this book, but not highly, unless you want to struggle through it as it is more difficult to read than Happiness.  

 

The next book reviewed was a fun sci-fi romp:  Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.  This reimagining of Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper finds Jack Holloway as a prospector on Zarathustra - a distant planet being mined by ZaraCorp, which is allowed to proceed with its operations with one caveat:  There must be no sentient life on the planet.  That is fine, until Jack meets a family of small, furry bipeds.  Are they sentient, and if so, what is ZaraCorp willing to do to keep it a secret?  Our reader, who is a Scalzi fan, really liked this book and recommends it to anyone wanting a quick and sassy read.

Nevermore: Nomadland, White Chrysanthemum, Country Driving, Fresh Complaint, Gods of Howl Mountain, Queen Victoria's Matchmaking

Reported by Jeanne

This week’s Nevermore opened with Nomadland by Jessica Bruder.  There are a number of Americans, usually older people, who travel the country in search of temporary jobs.  Some are formerly affluent, but shrinking incomes or financial setbacks have made it difficult (if not impossible) to eke out a living.  So they set out in RVs or converted vans to follow the seasonal jobs.  They come from a variety of backgrounds--police, wait staff, teachers—but now they work as campground custodians, warehouse personnel for Amazon, or harvesting produce.  Bruder interviews a number of those folks, exploring the culture they have created.  Our reader found it both eye-opening and fascinating.

White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht is a novel built around two sisters, Hana and Emi, whose lives are forever changed one day in 1943 when Japanese soldiers appear on their Korean island.  Hana sacrifices herself to allow her younger sister to escape and is taken to be a “comfort woman”—that is, a sex slave to the Japanese soldiers.  The book alternates points of view between Emi and Hana.  Our reviewer thought it was an excellent book, but was also frustrated that so much shame was attached to the girls when it wasn’t their fault.  She felt it that they were seen as having no value and she found that very sad.

In 2001, American journalist Peter Hessler acquired a Chinese driver’s license and set out to explore the country by car.  It took him seven years, but resulted in Country Driving, an intriguing book that examines modern Chinese culture during a period of rapid change.  Hessler spent time in several small towns and villages, places that are now disappearing as people move to the cities for work.  He also examines the upheavals created by the growing number of automobiles and increasing industrialization. It’s a wonderful book and comes highly recommended.

Jeffrey Eugenides’ Fresh Complaint is a collection of short fiction enhanced by Eugenides’ strong characterization and fresh approaches to the human condition.  Our reader said that the writing is “different” and that sometimes the stories stop, leaving the reader to supply the ending.  The question is, do you envision the way it should  end or the way you wish it would end? No matter the answer, he felt it was a book everyone could enjoy. However, if you read only one story in the collection, then read the final one.

The Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown was enjoyed by our next Nevermore member.  The year is 1952, and Rory Cocherty has returned to North Carolina from Korea with injuries to both body and spirit.  He finds employment running moonshine while living with his grandmother, the unforgettable Granny May.  There’s humor as well as drama, and it all ends “as well as it could.”  Our reader was impressed with the strong sense of place, and said the writer knows the area.  This is Brown’s fourth novel, and one reviewer recommended it for readers who enjoy reading Wiley Cash and Ron Rash.

With the new PBS season of “Queen Victoria” airing, our next member decided to read more about the monarch.  She picked up the new book Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking by Deborah Cadbury.  She found it to be a most interesting book, with tidbits of gossip along with fascinating history. Prince Albert had advocated using marriage to strengthen ties and promote peace between the countries of Europe, and his wife took the advice to heart.  Through a series of calculated political marriages, she had descendants in many Royal Houses, and five of her grandchildren were crowned heads of countries.

Nevermore: The Store, Bunkhouse, Conundrum, Nomadland, Wizard & Prophet, How to Stop TIme

Reported by Kristin

James Patterson publishes fast and furiously with a variety of co-writers, and is very popular with readers.  This week Nevermore kicked off with The Store by Patterson and Richard DiLallo.  When husband and wife Jacob and Megan Brandeis decide to seek new employment at a mega-store (think Amazon or Walmart warehouse) they have a secret plan to write an expose of the business.  The employer provides excellent benefits including housing, but the control exerted over the employees proves to be more than a bit unsettling.  Our reader found it to be an excellent novel with a dystopian twist.

Turning to non-fiction, another reader brought up The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland by Dan Barry.  A true story of intellectually disabled men who were exploited by the owners of a turkey processing plant from the mid-1970s until 2009, the book explains the horrible conditions in which the men were forced to work and live while being paid a pittance.  Our reader found it tragic that this sort of abuse can still happen today.

Our next reader told the group of Conundrum by Jan Morris, published in 1974, “From James to Jan—an extraordinary narrative of transsexualism.”  One of the first transgender autobiographies, Morris’ story is a revelation of her lifelong identification as female.  Our reader found it very interesting to learn of Morris’ feelings during her physical transition.  At age 91, Morris still lives in Wales with her wife, whom she has been with since 1949.

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century by Jessica Bruder intrigued the group, focusing on a growing population of older people who have chosen to travel around the country working seasonal positions during their retirement years.  As some Americans have discovered that retirement or Social Security checks just don’t cover their monthly expenses, they have hit the road in motorhomes, vans, and travel trailers in search of income to make ends meet.  Our reader found the situations portrayed in the book very interesting, although sad that the current economy forces many people to make choices they otherwise would not have made.

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World by Charles C. Mann launched much discussion, as the argument between the need to conserve and the need to develop new technologies to expand food sources is laid out by two visionaries.  In the face of exploding world population, should humans attempt to cut back and live more simply, as Norman Borlaug believes, or should we work to develop new grains and make the same amount of land produce more food, as called for by William Vogt?  Nevermore members had plenty to say as they tackled issues such as world population, genetically modified foods, and nitrogen fertilizers.

Returning to the fiction side of things, our next reader enjoyed How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig.  The main character Tom Hazard seems to be a normal 41-year-old high school history teacher living in London.  However, he’s lived much longer than those few decades—he has a rare health condition that makes him unable to die.  A secret society exists to protect those with this disorder, helping them change their lives every eight years to hide their secret.  Although his situation makes it impossible for Tom to spend his life with one woman, he falls in love.  Our reader loved the book, and was particularly enthralled by the news that Benedict Cumberbatch has bought the movie rights and plans to star in the upcoming film.