Jessica Bruder is a highly respected journalist and New American fellow, best known for her work on resilience, social issues, and various subcultures. She was born in Clifton, New Jersey, and pursued her higher education with a BA in English and French from Amherst College in the year 2000. Later, she completed her master’s in journalism from Columbia University in 2005. Bruder's work has been widely recognized for its excellence and contribution to social justice journalism.
In her most recent book, "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century," Bruder delves into the lives of itinerant Americans who have given up traditional housing and embraced a nomadic lifestyle. She spent several months living in a camper van and traveled more than 15,000 miles across the country, from coast to coast and from Mexico to the Canadian border, to document their experiences fully. This immersive approach allowed her to gain a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that this unique subculture faces in today's precarious economy.
Bruder's work has been published in numerous prestigious publications, including Harper's Magazine, The Nation, WIRED, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, O: The Oprah Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Reuters, and CNNMoney.com. She has also worked as a staff writer for The Oregonian and The New York Observer, and was a senior editor for Fortune Small Business magazine. Her long-form stories have won several awards, including a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism and a Deadline Club Award. Since 2008, Bruder has been teaching at Columbia Journalism School, where she continues to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists.