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

Adam Shepard

ISBN 10: 0979692601 / ISBN 13: 9780979692604

Published by SB Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 2008

About this Item

SIGNED by author on second page. Light edge wear, light crease on front cover, clean copy. Seller Inventory # 010628

Bibliographic Details

Title: Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search ...

Publisher: SB Press, Chapel Hill, NC

Publication Date: 2008

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis:

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.

About the Author:

Adam Shepard is a 2006 graduate of Merrimack College in North Andover, MA where he majored in Business Management and Spanish. Serving as a Resident Advisor during his upperclassmen years, he began to take particular interest in the social issues of our nation. Shortly after graduation - with almost literally $25 to his name - Shepard departed his home state for Charleston, SC, embarking on the journey that has now become Scratch Beginnings. Scratch Beginnings is Shepard's first work. He presently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.