Straight Up From ‘Scratch Beginnings’

Avani-Mehta says on November 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am

Sounds like an amazing story and book. Can’t wait for it to appear in my library :)

Jacob says on November 13th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

A guy with a college degree was able to pull himself out of self-imposed poverty? Shock!

Sarcasm aside, saying that this guy could do it when there were manifest differences between him and the other men around him doesn’t speak to the accessibility of the American dream. My guess is that he grew up in a middle to upper-middle class family, so this notion of making long-term plans was not something new to him. If you’ve never seen it before, then you don’t have an example to model. The whole point of Ehrenreich’s books is that this is a cycle of poverty, so that one generation after another is stuck. Think about it this way: at my relatively wealthy, suburban high school, the top 10% were looking at the Ivy League, Stanford, Northwestern, Berkeley, etc. A lot of those of us in the middle went to the highly selective state school, which is where I met my wife. Something like 95% of my HS class went to college, something like 40% of her rural high school class did. The example of people leaving and getting higher education wasn’t there for her class, so fewer people thought of it as an option. At one urban, poor, and primarily black, high school I worked with, a student earned a 1590 on her PSAT (before the SAT went to 2400 points). Her guidance counselor told her that, if she kept up work like that, she might be able to get into the college around the corner from her house. The idea that a student from that high school could go somewhere like Harvard or Northwestern was not even on the radar.

Shepard’s book, which I freely admit I have not read, seems to say that poverty could be overcome by a healthy dose of pluck and some long-term planning. It’s just not that simple. By taking on this experiment, Shepard wasn’t really risking anything. He also brought in skills and experiences that made it much easier for him than it was for the men around him. It’s a fine story, and there may be more to it than I’m giving it credit for, but I don’t think this book says anything grand about the American dream or its accessibility to people with too little education and training.

ckstevenson says on November 13th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

An interesting book for sure, and an interesting writeup. One thing not mentioned is the guy had his own inate abilities, and prior education, wherever he went. Something not as many people are blessed with who are down in the dumps.

David Rochester says on November 13th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

Ditto ckstevenson. I find the concept rather artificial, in that the average “working stiff” who is stuck does not, in fact, have self-discipline and a positive attitude, and those deficiences are often the result of troubled family situations, overuse of recreational alcohol/drugs, and lack of education.

Even if Shepard didn’t mention his college education, I’m sure it affected his confidence and self-esteem, and those are things that help a person to get ahead.

I’d be far more impressed by a book in which a real “working stiff” pulled himself out of the hopelessness of his life. He didn’t actually start from scratch; he had a premade recipe for success, in my opinion, which included higher education and mental/emotional health.

Rafael Madeira says on November 13th, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Nice story, and might work great as motivation for a few people who are only a push away from personal success.

But as evidence for the “all it takes is determination” hypothesis, I think it’s ultimately flawed.

The dude is tall, attractive, and has good hair. Studies show that those are all the qualities people look for in a leader. Granted, this alone won’t take you very far, but WILL give you advantanges and might just give you a win by a nose.

He also had a safety net: it wasn’t his future or life in stake; it was just an experiment. He had no reason to be desperate, disillusioned, or think of himself as a failure. Which leads to the more important point that, before that, he was already fairly successful.

His confidence, or guts, wasn’t an act, or a conscious decision. It was innate, backed by experience and previous confirmation. It had just the right looks and attitude to go with. Without that, “guts” can look like anything from suspicious to intimidating to just plain crazy.

Not to mention that determination doesn’t come easily. And the jury is still out on whether or not it can really be a learned skill.

Again, what I’m saying is that his story might work just fine as a personal motivation piece. It’s just its extrapolation into a sociocultural rule of sorts that I’d take with a big grain of salt.

jstreed says on November 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Sorry, but . . . educated, chiseled white guys are not starting from scratch. They’re starting with cultural assets that a lot of the low-income people I work with cannot claim.

Did he have a fallback position? Most people living in poverty don’t. He may claim he was wiping the slate clean, but if thing really went bad, he had an escape hatch and he knows it.

Did he have access to health care? If most day laborers get hurt and can’t lift heavy things, they don’t get a seat in the truck.

Three months? Were they winter months in Flint, Michigan?

Any kids in the mix here?

I definitely don’t hold it against him that he cut his experiment short to take care of his sick mom. But it bears mentioning that lots of working poor people don’t have that option. Their sick moms are waiting for them at the end of a long third shift as a CNA at the long-term care facility.

Also, I think he needs to go back and read Ehrenreich’s book again. Her premise wasn’t that it’s impossible, but that it’s really damned hard (and it gets harder when you’re older, too).

I look forward to reading this see if my reactions to this post hold water.

FrugalNYC says on November 13th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

Sounds like “The Pursuit of Happyness”. It may be a good read, but not the real deal that David Gardner actually went through. Still as you say, for those not in the dumps, it may be an inspirational book worth picking up from the Library.

dobbsfox says on November 13th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

I heard about this book a few months ago. It’s a nice story on the surface, but I don’t buy it.

Hate to sound like a broken record, and it’s already been pointed out by other posters, but this guy had a lot of inherent advantages:

-A young, good-looking white man in South Carolina? Employers tend to take more chances on those candidates than other demographic groups in that part of the country.

-He’s single and doesn’t have a family to support. If he did, it would be an order of magnitude harder to get by, let alone “live the dream.”

-His experiment lasts a matter of months. For him to claim that his experience is somehow relatable to people who have spent decades in poverty, are struggling with addiction or mental illness or something else that keeps them from sitting in a cubicle from 9-5, or were born into the bottom of society, is pretty self-serving and insulting to those who have to deal with much more dire circumstances than Shepard encountered.

I am not a pessimist or a cumudgeon, but I have to counter this guy’s thesis that all it takes is a positive attitude and discipline to “make it” in America. It’s just not that easy for a lot of people, and Shepard’s not doing anyone any favors with the theme that “you’re just not trying hard enough.”

Ggrrl says on November 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

I’m afraid that I join other in disbelieving that this guy’s success is any indication of the causes of homelessness. In addition to all of his other advantages – education, upbringing, safety net and looks – he hadn’t gone through becoming homeless – he chose it. Whatever causes people to be homeless – mental illness, loss of a job or loss of a family member, etc., surely plays into their continuing homelessness.

Ggrrl says on November 13th, 2008 at 5:38 pm

And I sure as heck hope that part of the proceeds from this book go to the shelter that put him up!

Christian Chambers says on November 13th, 2008 at 7:50 pm

“If they don’t fell like working,”, “he was impressed enough to hire Shepard on the stop.”

Proofread. It will keep me reading more. Some things the eye just gravitates to.

David Rochester says on November 14th, 2008 at 1:13 am

Christian — I noticed the typos also, and found them irritating, but not nearly as irritating as the idea that a good-looking young kid thinks he can teach anyone anything by pretending to be at the end of his rope. *sigh*

Kevin Bhatnagar says on November 14th, 2008 at 7:46 am

I will buy this book over the weekend.

It is nice to see an inspirational story about the opportunities in this country from this perspective. Shepard shows that you do not need to come from poverty to understand what this nation promises when you have a work ethic. There are so many stories of immigrants from Vietnam, Thailand, and India who started with nothing to become incredibly successful within a year or two (I know of someone who arrived with nothing from Vietnam last year and purchased his first home last week). I am sure the same nay sayers on this comment board will find some other excuse for their success stories as well.

Vincent says on November 14th, 2008 at 9:00 am

The book seems interesting. Great review!

Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

David Rochester says on November 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am

Kevin — I think you’ve completely missed the point of what the “naysayers” here are saying. This well-educated kid, pretending to come from nothing and writing a book about it, is an insult to the incredible dedication and hard work of people such as those you mention. I want to read the story of your friend from Vietnam, not the story of someone who conducted a controlled experiment about living in poverty.

David Rochester says on November 14th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

Kevin — I think you’ve missed the point the “naysayers” are making, which is that this artificial imitation of “starting with nothing” is an insult to people such as you describe. This guy is from a privileged background that he can go back to anytime he wants; his experiment is exactly that … an experiment. I want to read about your friend, who genuinely overcame incredible obstacles with courage and guts. This guy had no obstacles except the ones he invented for himself, and self-imposed “problems” are always much easier to solve, because there’s a safety net.

Nobody doubts that determination and grit allow people to seize a piece of the American dream. And personally, I’d like to hear about people like your friend, who did it honestly.

Linda says on November 15th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

Well good for him for having a go

Daddy says on November 16th, 2008 at 8:03 pm

So maybe this isn’t realistic for a person who is coming right off the street, but it is still very encouraging. As soon-to-be college graduates, my best friend and I are planning to move to NYC (without jobs and knowing no one). While New York is presumably a lot tougher than Charleston, it is really reassuring to see how well this guy did. He began his experiment in a precarious place in terms of employment and finances, but turned it around quickly. Yeah, he probably had a safety net.. but he didn’t use it. We have safety nets too, but hopefully we will become successful on our own.

Natalia says on November 17th, 2008 at 11:46 am

Why don´t you try sending a black woman to South Carolina next time? See how lucky SHE gets… *rolls eyes*

Peter says on November 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am

Hey Natalia,

Maybe we should see what happens if a black guy tries to run for President. Or let’s try to put a black woman in the white house. It’ll never happen.

Oh, wait a second…

Duggy-doo says on November 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

Peter,

Brief and to the point. Nicely done.

The Plagiarist says on November 21st, 2008 at 10:13 am

Peter, different circumstances. That black man happened to be coming right after what people consider the worst president of our generation.

If that wasn’t to his advantage enough. That black man happened to project his tabula rasa “Change” on a candidacy run where no one else did. To add to that, that black man also utilize a social media marketing campaign that few of his competitors where familiar with at the time.

Finally, to cinch that deal, that black man went head to head against a competitor that wasn’t only a Liberal running as a Republican, but wouldn’t even be worth mentioning if a certain Rich FrontRunner didn’t step down in the primaries and wouldn’t even had been notable if he hadn’t chose a female Governor as his running VP.

That is equivalent to said black woman meeting a surgeon who out of the graciousness of his heart performed a successful surgery on her turning her into a white woman which through even further luck, caused her to be given a scholarship due to the success of the surgery which she used to write herself a book on how a poor black woman goes from rags to riches.

Library Betty says on November 25th, 2008 at 12:36 am

I will read this as a counter-point to Nickeled and Dimed which was also a set-up. Both authors telegraphed their desired outcome at the beginning of their ‘experiments”.

Nickeled and Dimed was very artifical, the author wanted to fail. Going to somewhere with no connections or family connections is pretty artifical. Whenever there was a glimmer of success coming her way — she split for another job.

I don’t know about the new book, but I do think it tells a bit about the power of attitude. The comments here seem to think all that success has anything to do with is skin color and luck — well work and attitude are pretty important. Having a plan and doing some work is much better than sitting around complaining. Then again with the new president on the way — that might all change….
By the way Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickeled and Dimed, is currently an honorary co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, so she isn’t interested in successful individuals at all.

wsfortenberry says on December 8th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

This book seems to mirror my dad’s story. He came from a very low income home in one of the worst neighborhoods in Birmingham, AL. He now lives in one of the best neighborhoods in town, has put seven kids through private school and five through college, moved up to the vice presidency of a multi-state corporation, and did all of this without any college education.

My own story is also very similar. When I left home to get married, my wife and I started with absolutely nothing. We had no car, no house, no furniture, no money, and no job. I did take advantage of my college degree, but at every job that I have worked since then, I have had many co-workers without any college education.

I could continue with a list of several hundred people that I know personally who have worked themselves up from absolute poverty to extreme wealth. Thank you for the excellent review. I look forward to reading the book myself.

Ron says on January 6th, 2009 at 11:09 pm

I read the book. From what all these silly naysayers are writing, they didn’t.

Read the book. THEN you can critique it accurately. Right now you’re all coming from a position of ignorance.

DWord says on March 20th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

The naysayers are missing the point. The question of the American Dream is whether enough external opportunity exists that a capable person can take advantage of. Shepard’s story answers “Yes” while Ehrenreich’s says “No.”

I find Adam’s evidence more convincing.

Sure, Adam had advantages, but almost every person has SOME advantage at SOMETHING. The point is that opportunities exist at nearly every level.

There were people he met in his experience who weren’t blond, strong, white males, yet they still had the same access to the opportunities he did. In fact, most of what he learned initially in his story came from the advice and experience of the non-blond, non-strong, non-white men and women around him.

100% of every opportunity he took advantage of where available to the majority of others he met.

ashley says on October 19th, 2009 at 12:01 am

For those who take this book as a joke and “don’t buy it” maybe try reading it first. The book was written as a rebutall to Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. She did the same experiment and her conclusion was that the American Dream has faded away. After reading her book, Shepard, didn’t believe it and decided to take it on himself. He didn’t take an extra $2,000 with him, or go back into his previous life when things got hard, or spend $50 a night for motels such as Ehrenreich did in her experience. Instead he lived in a shelter. He used every opportunity that came at him. He shows that with discipline and a straight mind it can be possible to get out of the rut. He backs his thoughts up with many different stories of people who are white, black… whatever race. Those who want to work, who want to get out, will do what it takes, they will work for very low wage… because it is better than no wage. Infact for those of you who say his race and gender where the key factors for him making it… that is not the case. Not one of his jobs was determined by his race. Infact the way he landed his job was through advice given from another homeless male. Before you go on to ridicule his story… read it first. Its a great book. It opens up many different subjects, ideas, and view points. After all, would you have the guts to leave your family, your friends, your comfort zone for a life that no one wishes. He went to a place where he knew no one he had no one to lean back on when he fell in deep. He only had his goal in view.