Nomadland

A 2022 Community Read Exhibit by Seniors at Fitchburg High

Welcome!

It's no question that the past two years have been difficult to navigate, and participating in a Community Read project has become more important for our students and community than ever.

What you will find in this online exhibit is the work that students at Fitchburg High School are sharing with the community and the world for our 2022 Community Read book, Nomadland by Jessica Bruder.

Our Mission

Our goal was to study the impact of the economy and our expectations on our future lives based on the way the economy exists at this moment. We read the book, but also explored some of the major elements of American life that contribute to a world that often feels unfair and divisive, from exploring RV Living, to designing our own Earthships, interviewing bank managers on financial management, understanding the impact of Defensive and Hostile Architecture on the living spaces of the housed and homeless, working conditions at mammoth corporations such as Amazon, and finally, the impact that race and institutional racism has on housing, the economy, work, and even our own self-expression.

We read, analyzed, examined, and wrote poetry in response to what our own feelings were for each of these aspects of our lives, and what you are looking at here is the result of the past few months' work.

You will find the output in three sections of this exhibit, easily navigable from the menu at the top of this page: Poetry of Diversity, Our Earthship Designs, and finally, Short Speeches on Our Thoughts on Defensive Architecture.

Thank you for visiting, and please also check out the homepage of the Central Massachusetts Community Read by Clicking Here!

This program and classroom work has been supported by the generous work of Fitchburg State University students and faculty, Fitchburg Public Library, and other community partners including Connie Strittmatter, Aly White, Ann Finch, Jacalyn Kremer, Kevin McCarthy, Kim Cochrane, Lydia Gravell, Marcia Ladd, Muir Haman, Olivia Rossetti, Sally Moore, Sue Doherty, Wafa Unus, Katherine Covino, EmmaLee Richard, Natacha Prado, and Vanessa Roberto.