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

by Adam W. Shepard (Author)
Key Phrases: shelter residents, Fast Company, Crisis Ministries, Rivers Avenue (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Adam Shepard graduated from college in the summer of 2006 feeling disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him and incensed after reading Barbara Ehrenreich's famous works Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch—books that gave him a feeling of hopelessness over the state of the working class in America. Eager to see if he could make something out of nothing, he set out to prove wrong Ehrenreich's theory that those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom, and to see if the American Dream can still be a reality.

Shepard's plan was simple. Carrying only a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using previous contacts or relying on his college education, he set out for a randomly selected city with one objective: work his way out of homelessness and into a life that would give him the opportunity for success. His goal was to have, after one year, $2,500, a working automobile, and a furnished apartment.

But from the start, things didn't go as smoothly as Shepard had planned. Working his way up from a Charleston, South Carolina homeless shelter proved to be more difficult than he anticipated, with pressure to take low-paying, exploitive jobs from labor companies, and a job market that didn't respond with enthusiasm to homeless applicants. Shepard even began donating plasma to make fast cash. To his surprise, he found himself depending most on fellow shelter residents for inspiration and advice.

Earnest, passionate, and hard to put down, Scratch Beginnings is a story that will not only inspire readers, but will also remind them that success can come to anyone who is willing to work hard—and that America is still one of the most hopeful and inspiring countries in the world.

About the Author

Adam Shepard is a 2006 graduate of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he majored in Business Management and Spanish. Serving as a Resident Advisor during his upperclassmen years, he began to take particular interest in social issues. Scratch Beginnings is Shepard's first book. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his mom.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061714364
• ISBN-13: 978-0061714368
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for every high school student, January 1, 2008

By	Richard Lyman (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream (Paperback)

I have three children ages 12, 17 and 20. I received this book for Christmas and am fascinated by it and will get copies for my children as well as for some of their friends. A person can choose to be nickle and dimed, or can choose to create a plan and stick to it. Scratch Beginnings is not the Idiot's Guide for Getting out of Homelessness, but it is proof that anybody with determination can do it.

Our church is in downtown Charlotte, NC and we do a lot of work with the homeless. During the winter, we host Room at the Inn twice weekly to handle the overflow from the Men's Shelter. I have spent several nights at church with the homeless group and have always been amazed the majority of the them have full time jobs. They just can't accumulate the nut to get the apartment deposit, utility hookups, etc. The others seem to fall into the groups described at the Charleston shelter: the addicted and the crazies.

There are no easy answers when it comes to homelessness. I have seen some great success stories and some horrible failures including a dead man on a doorstep. I want my children to read your book for two reasons: 1) to know that they have no excuses for not making it in this life as they have had every advantage and a safety net the size of the oceans, and 2) they need to understand the roots of homelessness and what it takes to rise above it. The closest thing I have read to this book is "Finding Fish," which is more a story of redemption and the importance of family.

I help teach the AP econ class at a local high school and am going to talk to the teachers about getting the book added to the curriculum. Many of these kids have no clue when it comes to budgeting, goal setting and delayed gratification. Scratch Beginnings is an important lesson. It should be required reading for every high school student.

Oh, and as far as the "questionable language of the streets" goes, my 12 year old daughter hears worse on the school bus each day. While possibly offensive, it is realistic.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Knocks, Tips and Inspiration, December 12, 2007

By	Neil Cotiaux (North Canton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream (Paperback)

There are two ways to read "Scratch Beginnings": as a breezy first-person account of one man's brush with some of the more interesting characters of Charleston, SC, or as that... and more.

Reminiscent of the popular Seventies odyssey, "A Walk Across America", Adam Shepard's artful first work shows how people from all walks of life, when thrown together even briefly, can forever change one another for good or for bad. Injecting himself into a homeless shelter and working and living side by side (and sometimes too close for comfort) with some of his newfound neighbors, college-educated Shepard learns a thing or two about the 'street smarts' needed to survive and also emerge from among the working poor of our country. At the same time - without revealing his true identity - he is able to share some of his own wisdom and indefatigable optimism with the down-and-almost-out. In the end, Shepard soars, knowing that he has emerged from a self-imposed exile, stronger yet humbled, and in a way that must ironically be put to immediate use for very personal reasons.

"Scratch Beginnings" can be criticized on two counts: that as a well-educated white male his "experiment" was inherently flawed; and second, that the extremely salty language he employs in much of the book will alienate potential readers. While the author is not and never will be a single mom with two dependent kids, Shepard does allude to those in similar circumstances who have simply resolved to get on with life and better their place in society. He saw it, he heard it, and it validated his premise. As for cussing, it would be a shame if earthy language, already employed by most of Shepard's target readership - male, at-risk young adults - prevented homeless shelters, other nonprofits and educational facilities from making this book available to those who need it most.

"Scratch Beginnings" is alternatingly sad, amusing, pointed and thought provoking - all the makings of a book well worth reading.

Mr. Shepard, what's next?

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing Insight and Humor, December 1, 2007

By	Surry P. Roberts "Surry Roberts" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream (Paperback)

Review of Adam Shepard's Scratch Beginnings

Like others, knowing little about homeless shelters, I have long had an abiding curiosity about this arena. After a very few pages of Adam Shepard's, Scratch Beginnings, I was hooked. Shepard has an uncanny ability to cast characters from unknown territory as memorable, unique, and vibrant personalities, everyday people like you and me who are down on their luck and have multiple choices to either climb or fall from the ladder that leads to personal fulfillment. In this story there is a rejuvenation of the American Dream, the realization that there are incredible opportunities for just about anyone lucky enough to live under the American canopy. The absence of ethnic overtones is not readily apparent, but is powerful, nonetheless. The author describes his experiences, not elevating his ego or revealing a diary. I absorbed the story through the cast of characters, all laced with keen insight, particularly in regard to the human psyche and Shepard's prevailing humor. This book is a most enjoyable read and within it, I met people I can remember as clearly as Kim, Bacchus, Scrooge, or even a Roman gladiator. I truly did not want this book to end. Adam Shepard is a remarkable young writer and I hope he will take up his pen and impart more knowledge, insight, and humor in the future.