Scratch Beginnings

HarperCollins Publishers

Scratch Beginnings is a book by Adam Shepard, a graduate of Merrimack College, about his attempt to live the American Dream. It was conceived as a refutation of the books Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Background

While Shepard states that his story is not politically motivated, he did intend it to be a rebuttal to Barbara Ehrenreich's books Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch on a socio-economic level. He writes, "Ehrenreich attempted to establish that working stiffs are doomed to live in the same disgraceful conditions forever ... my story is a search to evaluate if hard work and discipline provide any payoff whatsoever or if they are, as Ehrenreich suggests, futile pursuits."[1]

Premise

“ I am going to start – almost literally from scratch - with one 8' x 10' tarp, a sleeping bag, an empty gym bag, $25, and the clothes on my back. Via train, I will be dropped at a random place somewhere in the southeastern United States that is not in my home state of North Carolina. I have 365 days to become free of the realities of homelessness and become a "regular" member of society. After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business. ”

In achievement of his goal, Shepard resolved not to use his college education, credit history, or any of his previous contacts to help himself. Additionally, he would not beg for money or use services that were not available to others.

Social issues

Along the way, Shepard explores controversial premises, such as:

Final outcome

A February 11, 2008 article about the book in The Christian Science Monitor states, "During his first 70 days in Charleston, Shepard lived in a shelter and received food stamps. He also made new friends, finding work as a day laborer, which led to a steady job with a moving company. Ten months into the experiment, he decided to quit after learning of an illness in his family. But by then he had moved into an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and had saved around $5,300."[2]

While he achieved his goals through hard work and discipline, he also received invaluable advice in getting over his 50 job rejections that were biased against his homelessness. It is not discussed whether job seekers facing other types of bias know how to overcome many job rejections. From a February 16, 2008 interview from NPR, Shepard admits, "you know, I was sitting there, and I was not really happy that I had passed out 50 applications, and nobody was getting back to me, and he just went nuts, and he said listen, Adam, you are a homeless dude. Nobody looks at your application - you know because I had my homeless shelter as my address -nobody looks at that and says hey, yeah, I want to hire Adam Shepard, the homeless guy." [3] Shepard does not address this sort of help or the unseen biases that act as hurdles in the American Dream.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Author Adam Shepard Undertakes Journey to Chronicle an 'Average Joe's' Search for the American Dream Scratch Beginnings Official Website. October 24, 2007.
  2. ↑ Smith, Peter "Homeless: Can You Build A Life From $25?" The Christian Science Monitor, February 11, 2008.
  3. ↑ Simon, Scott "The American Dream Tracked Down the Hard Way" NPR, February 16, 2008.

External links

External links

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