false 2180885 3 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. 2186565 30 11 2007 Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream total:262|5:30|4:75|3:98|2:46|1:13| 262 849 557 112 1 19 false false Mon Mar 03 20:14:26 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 23:35:41 -0800 2008 Pretend you never went to school
But still you'll never get it right
'cos when you're laid in bed at night
watching roaches climb the wall
if you called your dad he could stop it all yeah
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do whatever common people do
...more...]]> 1 5 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 19:27:23 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 19:30:07 -0800 2008
This guy is a joke and only sla...more...]]> 4 4 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Nov 14 10:31:34 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 05 05:52:42 -0800 2007 more...]]> 2 3 true false Wed Feb 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 07:50:57 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 13 07:38:36 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 07:37:04 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 07:44:40 -0800 2008 1 3 false false Wed Sep 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 15:37:19 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 03 07:35:57 -0700 2008 Nickel and Dimed, the book fails miserably.

The author starts out with $25 and proc...more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 21 10:23:21 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 22 15:16:40 -0800 2008
The book itself was an excellent read. I mean, it's not an i...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Nov 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 08 12:58:39 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 27 21:31:44 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 09:19:51 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 09:28:17 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 1 false false Tue Sep 02 15:49:38 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 15:55:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 20:09:47 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 15 12:31:16 -0700 2008 Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich, didn't like it and didn't agree, and set out with nothing but $25, the clothes he was wearing, and a goal. He wanted to have a car and a s...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Sep 17 08:15:11 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 09:06:12 -0700 2008
After reading ot...more...]]> 5 1 true false Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 26 17:28:22 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 25 13:00:11 -0700 2008
Very good book, but not much drama. He makes it mostly on bull-headedness and attitude. I couldn't have ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Feb 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 17:00:42 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 17:10:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 11:04:34 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 11:17:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 17:39:23 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 18:28:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 14:14:21 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 20 09:38:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Aug 06 08:31:20 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 08:49:34 -0700 2009
This book deserves a 5 because I REALLY liked the guts and determination this guy showed.
...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 03 18:59:30 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 19:14:28 -0700 2009
I saw this book as an answer t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 19:14:03 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 19:26:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2180885