I really like the message in this book, about achieving the American Dream, but this is not really my style book so I am not able to get in to it and enjoy it. But the book is very well written and gives good advice to anyone who reads it. ( )

College-educated, middle class, ablebodied, heterosexual white guy proves to himself that he can start with nothing and end up with something in contemporary America.Which as you may have guessed, does not mean to me that EVERYONE could, or even MOST PEOPLE could.He picks a random city in the south, puts 25$ in his pocket, and decides to challenge himself. In a year, can he have his own place to live, a car, and something like 2K in his bank account. He says he won't rely on his family and other contacts. And he won't use his education to get a job.Except that it's one thing to not put your education on a job application. To go for generally unskilled labor. It's another thing to not actually HAVE the education. He does mention now and then that he realizes it would be much harder if he was a single mother, or this and that. But while he intellectually might understand that, I don't feel that he gets it. I don't think he realizes how privileged he is as this homeless-by-choice man he's made himself into.Still and all, it's an interesting look into the lives and culture of homeless people in the US. (Well, homeless men in this one city in America.) I can't say I didn't learn a few things. I can't say I won't look at the world a little different after having read it.But I don't think anyone should take it as proof that the American Dream is alive and well for everyone. Even if it does work for young, fit white guys. Or at least this one white guy. ( )

In spite of the several self-identified flaws in Mr Shepard's social experiment, this is an enjoyable book which affirms that America is still a place where dreams come true and hard work pays off. I sincerely applaud this young man for his adventurous spirit, strong work ethic and willingness to put his own money where his mouth is. That being said, while Scratch is a pleasant read, it is very obviously the product of a young writer who still has not matured past the "I/me/my" stage often inherent with youth. Even during the writer's accounts of other encounters with other people he leaves them barely 2-dimensional characters whose descriptions are based solely on his observations of them or the things he told them. He doesn't appear to do much research or writing about the how his newfound acquaintances interpret their own upward mobility or their feelings about how they arrived at the shelter in the first place. As a mother of a young man in Shepard's age group, I appreciated him taking on this challenge and taking the initiative to write about it. However, as a reader, I didn't really learn anything tangible from this book (other than possibly gaining a greater appreciation for furniture movers). Bottom line: It's a nice story, but it's only an average book. ( )

Adam is a young kid right out of college and he dares to see if the American Dream is still attainable. He sets out for a city in which he knows no one with only $25 to his name. He finds a shelter and it is just as awful as he has anticipated. His goal is to acquire a car, a furnished apartment, savings, and a fulltime job before the end of a year. He easily attains his goal. Why was Adam successful when so many others are not? Drive. Optimism. Persistence. And he undoubted obtained knowledge during his college years that helped him in this goal. ( )

A little cheesy. It was mostly well written, but his conclusion at the end is too simple, as if he ran out of time writing it and forgot what his actual point was. ( )