Compelling idea and execution

books:


	• Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream Adam Shepard SB Press, 2007 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 45 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An eye opener!

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

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Peer Review

Hey Dad,
Thanks for sending me that book. I just finished it last night, and although some parts were very cliché, it was quite interesting. I think the kid had some good points about hard work, saving money, and a "five year plan", but it's obvious that he is still a young, privileged, white boy from the south. I guess he got something right since he is my age and already published!

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Compelling idea and execution

I agree that this guy, as a smart, healthy, and white male with no criminal record, had some advantages that others would not have. Still, I give him credit for what he accomplished in such a short time.

Some reviewers complained about the depth of detail about his job in the second half of the book. I actually found it to be quite interesting. Of course, maybe I'm just biased because this book had me laughing harder than any book has in a long time and a refreshing change from whiney Barbara.

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Great Life Lesson

My daughter and I read this book together along with her 8th grade class. We then had the pleasure of meeting Adam when he came to talk to her school. I was impressed with the book, but even more impressed with the author. He has proven that the American Dream is possible when coupled with traditional values like hard work, persistence, dependability, loyalty, etc.. He is a good man and this is an excellent book. I'd love to see the author of "Nickeled and Dimed" together with him for a debate on the accessibility of the American Dream. I highly recommend "Scratch Beginnings" to everyone.

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Excellent Message

A very good message, should be required reading for all, especially young adults.
An easy read.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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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