Employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads: migrant laborers who call themselves "workampers." Bruder hits the road to get to know her subjects,...

An optimistic report on how aging baby boomers are positively contributing to the economy argues that an avoidance of retirement through new careers, entrepreneurial ventures, and volunteer services has brought motivation and purpose to countless Americans.