Nothing to so with investing but this is a book every parent of a teenager ought to be sure they read….
Premise From the Editor:
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.
As he looked back on his time, Shepard came to the conclusion that it was possible, no matter what “bad luck” one has experienced to not only survive but prosper in America. Notice he did not say it was “easy”. If one has a vision and was disciplined there were avenues available to make it out of even homelessness. Too often those stuck there without getting out for years were the results of drugs, lack of discipline or even a certain acceptance of the situation.
Shepard takes no grievance with those who accept their plight. In fact he takes careful pains to note that he saw happiness and despair both from those in the shelter and those living in the million dollars homes he moved furniture too and from. He says, “adversity attacks at every level” and those able to deal with it succeed.
Happiness, Shepard concludes knows no class or economic barriers. It is working towards something better and achieving it.
Towards the end Shepard says “More than anything else over the course of the year I grew to appreciate, more than ever before, that we live in the greatest country in the world. America is more fertile and full of more opportunity that any other country in the world.”
Could not agree more…
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Disclosure (“none” means no position):
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