NOVEMBER 2011
MEMOIR
America’s most impactful
Common Read
Adam Shepard
Scratch Beginnings
Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
The fascinating and inspiring story of Adam Shepard, who
set out with nothing more than $25 and the clothes on his
back to prove that the American Dream still survives.
What can you get with twenty-five dollars and a dream?
Adam Shepard graduated from college feeling disillusioned
by the apathy around him and was then incensed after
reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s famous work Nickel and
Dimed—a book that gave him a feeling of hopelessness
about the working class in America. He set out to disprove
Ehrenreich’s theory—the notion that those who start at the
bottom stay at the bottom—by making something out of
nothing to achieve the American Dream.
Read by Peter Berkrot
Category: Memoir
Running Time: 9 hrs - Unabridged
Hardcover: 02/09/2010 (Harper)
Territory: North America
On Sale Date: 11/21/2011
Trade 9781452605036 8 Audio CDs $39.99
Library 9781452635033 8 Audio CDs $83.99
MP3 9781452655031 1 MP3-CD $29.99
Shepard’s plan was simple. With a sleeping bag, the clothes
on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using his
contacts or college education, he headed out for Charleston,
South Carolina, a randomly selected city, with one objective:
to 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.
Scratch Beginnings is the earnest and passionate account of
Shepard’s struggle to overcome the pressures placed on the
homeless. His story will not only inspire listeners, 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 countries in the world.
MARKETING
Adam Shepard is a 2006 graduage of
Merrimack College in North Andover,
Massachusetts, where he majored in
business management and Spanish. He
has appeared on The Today Show, CNN,
Fox News, NPR, and other outlets.
Adam lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A veteran of stage and screen, Peter Berkrot held feature
roles in Caddyshack and Showtime’s Brotherhood, and
his audiobooks include The Woods by Harlan Coben
and Country Driving by Peter Hessler. Library Journal
described Peter’s narration of When the Whistle Blows by
Fran Cannon Slayton as “a brilliant job of personalizing
each of the men in Jimmy’s life.”
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• Author has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, Fox
News, NPR, and other outlets
• Scratch Beginnings has been used on the freshman
curriculum or as a summer Common Read at over 80
college and universities
• Author’s Web site: www.scratchbeginnings.com
PRAISE FOR SCRATCH BEGINNINGS
“Don’t believe the naysayers. The American dream—the
fable that says if you work hard and follow the rules, you’ll
make it—is alive and well.” —New York Post