Adam Shepard - Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream

July 24Setting Up

Welcome to Crisis Ministries

EasyLabor

Another Day, Another Dollar

Big Babies

Sundays with George

Hustle Time

Job Hunting 101 with Professor Phil Coleman

Put Up or Shut Up

First and Last Day

Adventures in Moving

Movin On Up

Workers Consternation

Winter with Bubble Gum

Culture Shocked

Fighting for Respect

One Last Move

A Year Later: A Didactic Look at What I Learned and Where I Go from Here

T here are a number of people that deserve more than a simple thanks for their assistance in the writing of this book.

First shout-outs to Amy Brust and Nicki Jhabvala, who turned an amateurish first draft into a respectable second.

To Dan Strone, my agent, who breathed new life into a book that I figured would remain self-published forever. And to my editor at HarperCollins, Serena Jones, who brought a passion to this project that parallels my own.

To the rest of my review crew, who should not by any means be discounted for being the rest of my review crew: Molly Beam, Angela Caira, Neil Cotiaux, Sarah Haynes, Jen Golojuch, Jaime-Lyn Pickles, Jan Richards, Surry Roberts, Erik Shepard, and Michael Thomas. A special thanks to Iain Levison and Fred Hobsonauthors much more skilled than I will ever bewho kept me grounded.

To Teresa Pierrie, my ninth grade English teacher, who sparked a passion in writing that I may not have discovered on my own. And then showed me how to do it.

And, most importantly, to my parentsGeorge and Joanie Shepardwho instilled in me the knowledge to conceive such a project and inspired me with the courage to complete it.

P lease be forewarned that my story does contain some profane language. I considered censoring the entire book in an effort to reach a wider audience, but, in the end, I decided it would take away from some of the people that I met along the way. Submerged in a world that used cursing as a form of expression, I wrote it like they said it, even toning it back somewhat with guys like Phil Coleman and Brooklyn Bonesy.

It is NOT recommended that the reader repeats the exact actions contained herein. By reading this book, the reader agrees to release the author, the publisher, the book seller, and all other interested parties from any liability stemming from events related to the contents of this book.

The truth is that I wouldnt wish my experienceespecially the first seventy dayson anyone. Go to school, find your passion, save your money, live your dreams.

Finally, last names have been changed in order to protect the privacy of the people with whom I was associated throughout my year. Additionally, some of the names of the organizations with which I was associated have been changed.

July 24Setting Up

M y mom is nervous. My pops seems more excited about it than I am. My brother anxiously awaits my departure so he can take possession of my bed and all of my clothes after I leave.

My friend Sana is merely curious, while my friend Matt thinks I may have simply gone mad.

And maybe he is right. I am very frustrated.

I am frustrated with the whining and complaining.

Frustrated with the lethargy and lack of drive that seems to be overcoming a younger generation in particular.

Frustrated at always hearing how it used to be when people talk about the good ol days in the same breath as their perceived demise of America.

I am really, really frustrated with the poor attitudes that seem to have swept over my peer group. Frustrated with hearing I dont have rather than Lets see what I can do with what I do have.

So, I have decided to attempt to demonstrate that it doesnt have to be that way.

There are many ways that I could go about this. I could work my way through years and years of school, and when the time came for me to write my dissertation, I could turn my teachings into a book worthy of being published about the science of change or the science of attitude. I would write a comma and PhD next to my name on the cover and, based on my experience, people would know that whatever I had to say was inevitably true.

I could become the subject of a psychological case study on change that would highlight the importance of adopting a new way of thinking. I would find myself at the mercy of one of those aforementioned PhDs, hoping that he or she knew enough to use my talentsor lack thereofproductively.

Or, I could take matters into my own hands. And thats what I have decided to do. I have had the idea in my pocket, itching to come out, a plan that I have been toying with since high school. And now that I am fresh out of college, broke, and bordering on homelessness anyway, it seems like as good a time as any to let it out.

Heres my premise:

I am going to start almost literally from scratch with one 8' 10' tarp, a sleeping bag, an empty gym bag, $25, and the clothes on my back. Via train, I will be dropped at a random place somewhere in the southeastern United States outside of my home state of North Carolina. I have 365 days to become free of the realities of homelessness and become a regular member of society. After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2,500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business.

There are a few ground rules that I need to establish in an effort to keep some critics at bay. On paper, my previous life doesnt exist for this one year. I cannot use any of my previous contacts, my college education, or my credit history. For the sake of this project, I have a high school diploma, and I will have recently moved to my new town. Additionally, I cannot beg for money or use services that others are not at liberty to use.

Aside from illegally sleeping in a park or under a bridge, I am free to do whatever I need to do within the confines of the law in order to accomplish my goal.

Well, that all sounds simple enough. Now for a few disclaimers on my behalf.

First of all, I feel it is necessary to establish that I have no political the books that speak on the death of the American Dream. With investigative projects of her own, Ehrenreich attempted to establish that working stiffs are doomed to live in the same disgraceful conditions forever. I resent that theory, and 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.

Second, I am not an author or a journalist. I only mention this to establish that my intent in this project is not to produce a divine work of literature where carefully comprised prose dances sublimely off the page. Im just a regular guy, so whatever you read is straight from my thoughts to the paper. In a way, I believe that my untapped mind will add to the value of my writing. After all, Im going into this without drawing conclusions or stereotypes about the people I expect to meet along my journey, which will hopefully lead to unbiased reporting.

Third, it is important to note that evaluators of this project are going to call me on all sorts of technicalities. Whether it is the absence of a family to tend to (as may be the case for many in the real world living in similar circumstances), or my innate sense of adventure, or my overall health that plays to my advantageall are fair criticisms and worth noting. However, my hope is that these thoughts will not take away from the tedious task at hand or the theme that I intend to represent.