Comments on: Book Review: Scratch Beginnings

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:45:52 +0000

#plonkee→
Who IS to blame? Who is to blame for the guy in the book that professed his “love” for heroin despite its drawbacks? Who is to blame for the drunk woman who was begging someone to buy her a “fourty?” Who is to blame for the guy who decided to stab another in the hallway? Who would be to blame if I dropped out of my job, spent every dime I had on meth and went to live in a homeless shelter?

I don’t disagree that his nurturing environment didn’t have an effect on him during the 10 months this project was conducted, but I do think that people who find themselves “down and out” can work hard and pull themselves out of the hole of homelessness and poverty. Witness the successes of the other people in the book, Derrick in particular. I was struck by how his decision making process was affected after just 6 weeks in the homeless shelter. He was given a pep talk by another homeless guy, Phil Coleman, that prompted him to go after the job at Fast Company rather than the car wash. I was also impressed by the fact that so many others in the shelter were working hard to get out and that the shelter itself had programs to help them do it. While there are those who are “stuck in a rut” and can’t get out, there are many more who won’t get out because of a myriad of reasons. I don’t think we should make public policy based on the exceptions.

By: plonkee

plonkee — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:47:29 +0000

The points about background and so on are most relevant if people attempt to use Adam’s experiences to *prove* that homeless people only have themselves to blame. They really do make a difference to his ability to succeed. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t work hard, just that not everyone would be able to do so.

But that doesn’t really affect the books target demographic – he’s not trying to sell to the down and out, but to the rest of us who mostly have the tools we need to get on in life, if we just use them.

By: Marc and Angel Hack Life

Marc and Angel Hack Life — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:51:41 +0000

Fantastic book! I read it a few months ago and loved it. Thanks for the review.

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:08:42 +0000

#Amber C→ I'm glad to hear that. If we can get the next couple of generations to learn to delay gratification, they're going to be so much better off in the long run.

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:17:23 +0000

Ron, thanks for highlighting Shepard’s book. To Amber’s point, I honestly believe books like this can have a profound effect on young people. In junior high school I read the first book by Dr. Ben Carson, Gifted Hands, which told the story of his rise from poverty to become a world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon. The most important lesson I took away from the book–”We do not have to be victims of our circumstances.”

By: Amber C

Amber C — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:54:07 +0000

My son is a college freshmen and he read the book. He enjoyed it and I think that many things really resonated with him. He really picked up on the shift from “gotta have the latest greatest” to use your money for something purposeful.