Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
by Adam Shepard

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
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Book Summary Information

Author: Adam Shepard
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2007-11-30
ISBN: 0979692601
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: SB Press

Book Reviews of Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream

Book Review: An eye opener!
Summary: 5 Stars

I just loved the book. I am not one that has any trouble putting a book down and taking my time, but not this one. It truly was a page turner because you couldn't wait to see what Shep's next step would be.

I was also amazed at how things were behind the scenes in a homeless shelter. He told the story so well that you felt like you were with him!

Last, I admire someone who has a goal as large as this particular one and goes forth to accomplish it keeping a high spirit and letting no hurdle get in their way. I know that Shep will do well in all of his future endeavors.

Susan in Jalisco, Mexico

Summary of Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream

Is the American Dream still alive or has it, in fact, been drowned out by a clashing of the classes? Is the upper class destined to rule forever while the lower classes are forced to live in the same cyclical misery? Millions of Americans fight for the answers to these questions every day, and here, in Scratch Beginnings, one man makes the attempt at discovering the answers for himself. Carrying only a sleeping bag, $25, and the clothes on his back, and restricted from using his contacts or his education, Adam Shepard sets out for a randomly selected city with one goal on his mind: work his way out of the realities of homelessness and into a life that will offer him the opportunity for success. Scratch Beginnings is Shepard's response to the now-famous books Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, where Barbara Ehrenreich has written on the hopeless pursuit of the American Dream. This book offers his observation of what it is like for so many people on the lower end of the spectrum, the blunt end of the stick. In this poignant account, Shepard goes on a search for the vitality of the American Dream, and, in turn, discovers so much more. Scratch Beginnings is unquestionably one of the most engaging works of the social science genre. No matter your reading interest, Shepard's facile writing style is sure to keep you turning the pages.

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