Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream
Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream
Quart, Alissa
product information
Condition: New, UPC: 9780063028005, Publication Date: Wed, March 1, 2023, Type: Hardcover ,
join & start selling
description
et ultimately hopeful look at how we can shed the American obsession with self-reliance that has made us less healthy, less secure, and less fulfilled

The promise that you can "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" is central to the story of the American Dream. It's the belief that if you work hard and rely on your own resources, you will eventually succeed. However, time and again we have seen how this foundational myth, with its emphasis on individual determination, brittle self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment, does not help us. Instead, as income inequality rises around us, we are left with shame and self-blame for our condition.

Acclaimed journalist Alissa Quart argues that at the heart of our suffering is a do-it-yourself ethos, the misplaced belief in our own independence and the conviction that we must rely on ourselves alone. Looking at a range of delusions and half solutions--from "grit" to the false Horatio Alger story to the rise of GoFundMe--Quart reveals how we have been steered away from robust social programs that would address the root causes of our problems. Meanwhile, the responsibility for survival has been shifted onto the backs of ordinary people, burdening generations with debt instead of providing the social safety net we so desperately need.

Insightful, sharply argued, and characterized by Quart's lively writing and deep reporting, and for fans of Evicted and Nickel and Dimed, Bootstrapped is a powerful examination of what ails us at a societal level and a plan for how we can free ourselves from these self-defeating narratives.

reviews

Be the first to write a review

member goods

No member items were found under this heading.

notems store

Between Safe and Real

by Olguin, Dannie M.

Paperback /Paperback

$13.99

Thank You

by Jarvis

Hardcover /Hardcover

The Berenstain Bears and the ...

by Berenstain, Jan

Paperback /Paperback

$3.74

Where Is the Bermuda Triangle?

by Stine, Megan

Paperback /Paperback

$4.49

listens & views

PYOTRR LL'YICH TCHAIKOVSKY

by TCHAIKOVSKY

COMPACT DISC

$12.49

CAGE OF SAXOPHONES 2

by CAGE,JOHN / KRIEGER

COMPACT DISC

$19.25

VIGILANTE MAN

by GUTHRIE,WOODY

COMPACT DISC

out of stock

$11.25

NAVALHA NA CARNE

by CARREIRO,TIAO / PARDINHO

COMPACT DISC

out of stock

$14.99

Return Policy

All sales are final

Shipping

No special shipping considerations available.
Shipping fees determined at checkout.
promoting relevance through notable postings ]
share it, buy it, sell it ]

A notem is a post that highlights an experience, idea, topic of interest, an event ... whatever a member believes worthy of discussion. Each notem becomes a pathway by which to make meaningful connections.

notems is a free, global social network that rewards members by the number and quality of notems they post.

notemote® © . Privacy Policy. Developed by Hartmann Software Group