“Nomadland” began as a series for Harper’s magazine, and that’s all author Jessica Bruder was thinking it ever would be.
But eventually her work interviewing dozens of Americans who choose to live in campers and travel from state to state chasing seasonal jobs turned into a book. Now a film version — with its stark portrayal of social isolation and income inequality across America’s vast, stunning landscape — is a contender for multiple Academy Awards in this time of pandemic.