What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedNomadland
Chloé Zhao · Film · 2021
If you loved Nomadland, start with Nomadland (Jessica Bruder) — a book from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Nomadland across media.
If Nomadland captivated you, these stories explore the profound resilience required to navigate life on the margins of a changing landscape.
Start with the source
Books on the same thread
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
Like Nomadland, this story strips away civilization to examine human survival, forcing you to confront the existential dread and raw scarcity that define life in a desolate, unforgiving world.
Independent People
Halldór Laxness · Book · 1946
Explores: Stoicism, Rugged Individualism, Man against nature.
This epic mirrors the rugged individualism found in Nomadland, depicting a grim, tenacious struggle against the elements that captures the same spirit of independence despite overwhelming environmental hardship.
Lonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry · Book · 1988
Shares a thread with Nomadland: American West.
The vast, transformative power of the American West is central to both Nomadland and this journey, highlighting how the frontier shapes the lives of those chasing a dream.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Cheryl Strayed · Book · 2012
Shares a thread with Nomadland: Resilience.
Much like the protagonist of Nomadland, this memoir follows a woman turning to the open road to process deep grief, finding personal healing through arduous, solitary physical exertion.
Series on the same thread
Maid
Molly Smith Metzler · Series · 2021
Shares 2 threads with Nomadland: Resilience, Social Realism.
This drama echoes the social realism of Nomadland, focusing on the quiet, persistent resilience of a mother navigating economic instability while striving to build a life from nothing.
Landman
Taylor Sheridan · Series · 2024
Shares a thread with Nomadland: Neo-Western.
While Nomadland examines the nomadic periphery, this series explores the modern West's boomtown dynamics, exposing the stark class conflicts and economic realities that continue to reshape the American landscape.
1883
Taylor Sheridan · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Nomadland: Neo-Western.
This journey captures the same brutal, pioneering spirit seen in Nomadland, portraying the immense physical and emotional toll of families traveling west to escape poverty and seek survival.
Godless
Scott Frank · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with Nomadland: Neo-Western.
Shifting the focus of the American West, this narrative shares the themes of self-reliance and community found in Nomadland, showing how people rebuild their lives in isolated, unconventional settings.
Podcasts on the same thread
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
If the human-centric storytelling of Nomadland resonated with you, these intimate, investigative portraits of the human condition offer the same deep empathy for people living on the edges.
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Explores: moral ambiguity, social justice, human behavior.
This podcast shares the grounded, empathetic approach of Nomadland by highlighting marginalized voices and the complex, often difficult choices people make when existing within the cracks of society.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Nomadland based on a book?
Yes, the 2021 film Nomadland is an adaptation of a book titled Nomadland. The movie follows the story of a woman in her sixties who loses everything during the Great Recession and begins living as a modern-day nomad while traveling through the western United States.
What is the plot of Nomadland?
Nomadland follows a woman in her sixties who loses everything in the Great Recession. She chooses to embark on a journey through the western United States, living as a van-dwelling nomad. The story depicts her experiences and lifestyle as she travels across the country.
Who directed the movie Nomadland?
The 2021 film Nomadland was directed by Chloé Zhao. It tells the story of a woman who loses her belongings during the Great Recession and travels through the western United States in a van, embracing a life as a modern-day nomad.
Does Nomadland take place in the western United States?
Yes, the narrative of Nomadland is set in the western United States. The film portrays the journey of a woman in her sixties who loses everything in the Great Recession and decides to live as a van-dwelling nomad throughout that region.