Scratch Beginnings

Book Review of Scratch Beginnings

by Ben K

Every American has a dream, and every dream can be accomplished. No matter where you come from, how much money you have, or how old a person is, if one has the work ethic, the will, and the desire to achieve their dream, they can. It won’t necessarily be easy, but the American dream is still alive and can be achieved by any person.

If you are looking for a book that is very descriptive, and exceptionally motivating Adam Shepard’s memoir Scratch Beginnings, is perfect. The memoir consists of Shepard’s journey and experiment to discover if the American dream is still alive, and achievable by any person. His adventure begins in Charleston, South Carolina, about one thousand miles south from his home town of North Andover, Massachusetts. Adam Shepard’s goal by the end of his project is to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment, have $2500 in cash, and most notably be in a place where he can improve his circumstances. Also to make his project more accurate and realistic, Adam developed a set of guidelines such as; not using his credit history, not using his college education, and not relying on any past contacts to help him. Will he survive on twenty-five dollars? Is the American dream still alive? Will he be able to achieve his goals? Join Adam Shepard on his adventure in Scratch Beginnings to find out…

Overall the book is very interesting and extremely engaging. Once you pick up the memoir you will not want to set it down. Throughout the memoir there are multiple jokes, scenes, and conversations that will truly keep you engaged while also making you laugh. The memoir starts off very quickly with multiple dilemmas, lots of drama, and many “close call” situations. Although the beginning chapters are exceedingly amusing, a pattern within the later chapters begins to arise. In almost every chapter, past chapter five, there is a recurring theme of “I woke up. Went to work. Met a nice guy that could help me in the future. Went back to the shelter. Went to sleep.”. The recurring theme was very thought-provoking at first but after a while the amusingness of the repetitive theme got extraordinarily bland and old. I wish the memoir had not dedicated such vast detail to minor situations, which would have allowed for additional commentary on the more meaningful events. In result the story would flow better, and maybe even become a longer story so we could see the final result of the project in much more detail.