Scratch Beginnings
Encyclopedia
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
.
'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."
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 close to $5,000."
Merrimack College
Merrimack College is an independent college in the Roman Catholic, Augustinian tradition located in North Andover, Massachusetts, north of Boston, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate degrees in business, education, science, engineering, and the liberal arts...
, about his attempt to live the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
. It was conceived as a refutation of the books Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from the perspective of the undercover journalist, it sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the "working poor" in the United States...
and Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara Ehrenreich
-Early life:Ehrenreich was born Barbara Alexander to Isabelle Oxley and Ben Howes Alexander in Butte, Montana, which she describes as then being "a bustling, brawling, blue collar mining town."...
.
Background
While Shepard states that his story is not politically motivated, he did intend it to be a rebuttal to Barbara EhrenreichBarbara Ehrenreich
-Early life:Ehrenreich was born Barbara Alexander to Isabelle Oxley and Ben Howes Alexander in Butte, Montana, which she describes as then being "a bustling, brawling, blue collar mining town."...
'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."
Premise
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:- Why the book Nickel and DimedNickel and DimedNickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from the perspective of the undercover journalist, it sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the "working poor" in the United States...
was flawed from the beginning. - Why raising the minimum wage does not stimulate the economy of the lower class.
- Why immigration and job outsourcing are not the causes of decreasing opportunity in the American workforce.
- How certain individuals are profiting from the consumer's fear of the death of the American Dream.
Final outcome
A February 11, 2008 article about the book in The Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
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 close to $5,000."
See also
- Nickel and DimedNickel and DimedNickel and Dimed: On Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from the perspective of the undercover journalist, it sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the "working poor" in the United States...
- George OrwellGeorge OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, Down and Out in Paris and LondonDown and Out in Paris and LondonDown and Out in Paris and London is the first full-length work by the English author George Orwell , published in 1933. It is a memoir in two parts on the theme of poverty in the two cities. The first part is a picaresque account of living on the breadline in Paris and the experience of casual... - Polly ToynbeePolly ToynbeePolly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing...
, Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain - Jack LondonJack LondonJohn Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, The People of the AbyssThe People of the AbyssThe People of the Abyss is a book by Jack London about life in the East End of London in 1902. He wrote this first-hand account by living in the East End for several months, sometimes staying in workhouses or sleeping on the streets... - Jacob RiisJacob RiisJacob August Riis was a Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific...
, How the Other Half LivesHow the Other Half LivesHow the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York was an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s... - ISBN 978-0979692604
Reviews and Media Discussions of the Book
- Jill Coley, "Man Searches Holy City for Dream: Memoir tracks 23-year-old college grad's journey with $25, a mission," The Charleston Post and Courier, Oct. 29, 2007
- Barry Saunders, "Some of Poor Just Like Us" The News & Observer, Nov. 13, 2007
- Peter Smith, "Homeless: Can You Build a Life from $25?", The Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 11, 2008
- NPR Weekend Edition Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008
- Glenn Beck, CNN Headline News, March 18, 2008
- Bruce Ramsey, "Adventures in self-reliance from an edgier American era", The Seattle Times, June 25, 2008
- Katherine Kersten, "Young author's 'Nickled and Dimed' rebuttal revisits life in the low-wage lane," Minneapolis Star Tribune, Dec. 8, 2008
- John Stossel & Chris Kilmer, "The Middle Class is Doing Just Fine, Thank You," ABC News.com, March 11, 2009
- Review at Letters on Pages
- Review at Think Your Way To Wealth
- Review at Surrender, Dorothy
- Daniel Cuevas, "My Interview With Adam Shepard." I'm Not The Only One. Jan. 24, 2009
- Review at I'm Not The Only One