Title: Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
Author: Adam Shepard
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.
Rating: 3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.
Book Source: Library
What Its About:
After Adam Shephard graduated from Merrimack College, he decided to challenge himself to a social experiment. Leaving home with $25, the clothes on his back, a sleeping bag (complete with air pillow) and not much more, Shephard set off for warm and sunny Charleston, South Carolina to prove that anyone can overcome poverty and homelessness. He set five goals for himself and gave himself a one-year timeline to complete them:
1. Obtain a steady job.
2. Live in a furnished apartment.
3. Purchase a vehicle.
4. Establish $2,500 in savings.
5. Be in a position to continue to improve himself.
Further, he opted not to utilize his past history (college degree, work experience or references) to obtain jobs. He left his past behind.
After a rocky start, Shephard found himself at Crisis Ministries, a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, and support network. He used the tools and opportunities offered to focus on achieving his goals. Over the next weeks, Shephard took on temp work until he was able to secure a permanent position with a moving company. He saved his paltry paychecks until he could afford a car, an apartment and until he me this savings goal.
After only 10 months, Shephard had achieved his goals, made some friends, and put himself in a position to continue to improve himself. Ultimately, his experiment was cut short as he found himself needing to return to his birth home to care for ailing parents. But, having met his goals, he felt successful in his experiment.
More interestingly, though, has he really proven anything? Has he created a pathway for his fellow homeless to follow toward success and prosperity? In my opinion, no. Shephard doesn't face the struggles that many homeless do: mental illness, physical and mental deficiencies (perhaps from limited nutrition growing up), the knowledge that there is no cushion to fall back on (ie - returning to family if times get tough - this makes you more willing to go out on a limb) or the knowledge that this life will eventually come to and end (this must make sleeping on the floor of a shelter much more acceptable), truly being alone in the world, racism, little or no role models from whom to develop things such as determination and being able to stand up for oneself, and perhaps the most important issue limited/poor education.
Can a college-educated white man from a strong family with experience using computers and a strong sense of self (as one would have to have to attempt such an experiment) succeed? Of course. And so could some of the other men he met at the shelter. But some of them could not. Yet, he feels that their situations are similar, if not equal. He offers a one-size-fits-all, "Work hard. Sacrifice cell phones and eating out and all will work out." answer. In reality, however, there are a great many disparities that he fails to address that renders this experiment questionable.
That said, the book is entertaining. It is interesting look into what he learned about others in that situation and the friends he made. One can only hope that he took some of the money he made from the book publishing to pay Crisis Ministries back for the cost of housing and feeding him for months, while other truly needy men may have gone without. Just my two cents.
1 comments:
It sounds like a good read, but I bet your assessment is right. He likely had so many more positive things going for him than most people in that situation.
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