All the Past We Leave Behind

Workampers—the new American nomads in the wake of economic recession

In his first book, Timothy Eastman presents us with portraits of and interviews with people called workampers, people for whom the most promising form of the American Dream is a life lived on the road. Workampers are people who typically live in an RV or van, moving between temporary and seasonal jobs. Often, they are people who had lived a more mainstream life but found themselves barely getting by. Some see themselves as rebels and adventurers who have bucked the system and found a way to live on their own terms. But workamping is also characterized by financial precariousness. Healthcare is unavailable or unreliable, and safety is a concern, especially for solo travelers. The next job is not guaranteed and most are low-paid. Amazon is the workamper’s largest employer, hiring for help in its warehouses during the busiest times of the year.