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

by Adam W. Shepard (Author)

"DON'T believe the naysayers. The American Dream--the fable that says if you work hard and follow the rules, you'll make it--is alive and well."
--New York Post

Adam W. Shepard's Scratch Beginnings is the fascinating and eye-opening account of the grand social experiment the author undertook in response to Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed. Subtitled "Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream," Scratch Beginnings chronicles Shepard's successful efforts to raise himself up from self-imposed rock bottom in one year's time--a personal odyssey that is sure to inspire anyone who reads about it, instilling new faith in the solid principles on which our democracy was built.

Back Jacket

What can you get with $25 and a dream?

Adam Shepard graduated from college feeling disillusioned by the apathy around him and was then incensed after reading Barbara Ehrenreich's famous work Nickel and Dimed--a book that gave him a feeling of hopelessness about the working class in America. He set out to disprove Ehrenreich's theory--the notion that those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom--by making something out of nothing to achieve the American Dream.

Shepard's plan was simple. With a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using his contacts or college education, he headed out for Charleston, South Carolina, a randomly selected city with one objective: to work his way out of homelessness and into a life that would give him the opportunity for success. His goal was to have, after one year, $2,500, a working automobile, and a furnished apartment.

Scratch Beginnings is the earnest and passionate account of Shepard's struggle to overcome the pressures placed on the homeless. His story will not only inspire readers but will also remind them that success can come to anyone who is willing to work hard--and that America is still one of the most hopeful countries in the world.