Epilogue

He was pround of what he had done. He had enjoyed meeting people and moving up from nothingt to something. He learned that the people around you affect you. That everyone faces adversity, but that it can be overcome. He appreciated the country he lived in, because he knew that he would not have had the same opportunities in another country. He said you had to take reponsibility for your own problems and fix them, not complain about them. Its all about your attitude. His ideas for improving poverty included parent education clases, clean housing, literacy instruction, reading, reforming schools, and more. Now he's going to use his college edication to find a job, but he had no intention of changing his thrify lifestyle. He said you had a choice:you could make something happen, watch what happens,or wonder what happened. He lived and lives the Amerixan dream. He proved it can happen. Now he says it your choice.

Chapter 16

Both of Shepards parents had cancer. When he had left for the project it had been under control, however his mother's cancer had come back more aggressively and it was taking a toll on her and her family's finances. So he was called hoe to share an apartment with his brother Erik while they watched after her. When she was better he could head out to use his college education to find what he wnted to do in his life. He managed to continue working at a new branch of Fast Company, but he had to start at the bottom of the rungs again. He cinsidered himself tto be aan average worker and was proun of hat he had done. He missed both Derrick and Bg. He knew Derrick wiuld do well. He told both of them about his project before he left and hhe hoped Bg would use it. Bg was happy that he would be put in the book, including their fight. Then he went back home.

Chapter 15

Shepard began to have some troublenwith Bg who kept on "borrowing" his car without his permission. After a fight they began to get along better. Bg was trying to save up his money. He even thought about getting absecond job. They became more considerate of each other. The chapter focuses more on their relationship than what they did economically.

Chapter 14

He went o his longest move yet, an 18 and a half hour moove. Unfortunatley he got sick for a week soon after. He hd no health insurance and it was too expensice to go to the doctor. He rode it through and eventually started to feel better. He continued tobge to know Bg an to meet hia friendsnas well. He talked about distinguishing wants from needs when saving. Derrick saved up enough money for a house. He had only 4 months left in his project.

Chapter 13

He Bubble Gum was Derrick's cousin. He was looking for a roomate. They met after thansgiving and were so similar that they were always arguing. They rented an old apartment together for a very low price if they promised to clean ir. After they fixef it up it was only$600 a month so they split the cost porportionally between them. They got their furniture from extras of the customers on moves they worked on at the company.Shepard foynd it difficult to like and work together. He got a raise to $10 an hour. He went to visit his family. After new years he had a truck, a 40 hour work week, and a furnished apartment. Their first energy bill was very high but tgey managed to almost cut in half by the next month. Bg was very handy to have around because he could fix things for cheap.

Chapter 12

he continued working at the moving company, but his jobs took longer and the tis were bigger. He still enjoyed meeting new people. He now made enough money to eat, get car insurance, pay Mickey rent, and keep his truck fueled. He was dissatisfied with the leadership of the company and began having trouble with his other partner, Mike. Eventually they asked for Mike to be sent to another team and they continued moves by themselves. Eventually Shepard reached his pre-determined 2 month stay at Mickey's place so he decided to move out but he wanted a roommate, so Derrick told him about someone named Bubble Gum.

Chapter 11

unfortunately, Shepard broke one of his toes on a move and had to go to the hospital. It was very expensive and he would have to stay off his feet. George had told him about a friend who had a room for him. On his 60th day at the shelter, he notified the shelter that he was leaving. However when he got hurt. When he went back to work, his boss had him working in the office. Finally he moved out of the shelter, on his birthday no less. He moved downtown int a man named Mickey's attic. it was small, but he had his own room so he was happy. When he was sent back to moving furniture, he got paired with Derrick Hale, one of the best movers in the company. He enjoyed the experience. Later he decided to go car hunting. he wanted something at $1000 so he would have enough money for a few months of insurance and $400 for emergencies. He found a car he liked and had it checked. Then he bargained the price down from $1500 to $1000. He kept working with Derrick, however unlike Marco this relationship seemed stronger.

Chapter 10

Shepard was paired with a permanent partner,Shaun Caldwell, at the moving company. They were very different but they used their differences ti their advantage. Shepard opened a banking account where he deposited his entire paycheck and his money from working with George. He attempted to spend as little as possible. He enjoyed his job at Fast company because he got to meet so many different people. He noticed that he was changing as time passed, something he hoped to use toward his goal. Marco moved to another, more upscale shelter. After that Marco seemed to fall out of his life, and Shaun began to get on his nerves. However he put up with it in order to reach his goal in the end. However unfortunately there as a misunderstanding and the money from one of the moves got stolen. Shepard and Shaun had to split the cost, $143.50 each. This set back his plans to move out.

Chapter 9

He deemed it a wise investment to rent a locker to keep his belongings in during the day. He was met again on his first day of work with a challenge. He was still driving the old truck and he had to move furniture from a third story apartment. He had his confidence back, which he tried to channel to his goal. He thought about buying a cheap apartment or renting a room, however he wanted more financial security than that. He wanted to stay there until he could get a "secure" place to live by himself or with Marco. He met a man named Mustafa who was the kindest and funniest man he had ever know. he continued with his enthusiastic attitude.

Chapter 8

Shepard waited at the office for Curtis until he came back. However he told him that there were no job openings. Shepard then spoke out to him, telling him that he was the best workers that he would ever find. After his speech, Curtis hired him. Curtis tested him by giving him the worst truck they had- an old stick shift that was breaking down. However he stuck it out and kept his new job. It had taken him 10 days, but he had a job. A man named Leo who also lived at the shelter expressed his dislike of lazy people.

Chapter 7

He continued to work with Easy-labor while he waited to hear back from prospective employers. he met with his caseworker, Kazia. He heard a story from his fellow shelter mates about a man who had lived a the shelter for a year and had all the while saved up enough money to pay the down payment for a house and move out permanently. He approved of such motivated attitudes to get out. He continued to follow up with the moving company to no avail. A man named Phil Colman told him to be confident when he was looking for a job. He resolved to go back to talk to Curtis, the manager of the moving company.

Chapter 6

He went to Goodwill for clothes when he need them and found them at affordable prices. Someone at eh shelter told him that a moving company was hiring for $8 an hour. He commented that filling gout applications is not very useful. He would have preferred to meet personally with the manager. A good sense of humor helped them keep going. He began to notice the effect that drugs had on other people in the shelter. He still could not find a steady job.

Chapter 5

Even if the work was hard, he kept with it in order to save up for his goal. He visited the library every day. He admired the Church's willingness to help the homeless, even to give them a place to live when they were strangers. He also appreciated that Crisis Ministries was always there to help out, especially the case workers. He tried to find other ways to get extra cash. He finally found a job at a carwash, however the pay was only $6.50 an hour. He passed on the job deciding that if he did not have a job by Friday he would come back. He now had steady work with George on Sunday, and by Monday he would have a steady job either at O'Charley's or at the car wash. He planned to spend the next day searching for any other jobs.

Chapter 4

Adam shepard began to get annoyed with working some of the Easylabor jobs. He had worked gor hours and only hag $14to show for it. He began to question if any work was better than no work at all. Shepard and his friend Marco come up with a plan to move out of the shelter and become roomates in 2 months. He did not waste money on even little things because he knew that just spending a few dollars at a time could build up and hurt him. He wasn't a " robot that worked all day andpenny-oinched [his] entire paycheck," but he didn't waste money frivolously either. A man named Larry in the shelter told Shepard that he wanted to move out next week now that he had found a steady job, however he miscalculated his expenses and would not listen to Shepard's warnings. He was looking forward to a job at a construction site he had gotten i the previous chapter with George.

Chapter 3

The shelter had good programs to help the residents, however it lacked in eduction options. Shepard went on a job search by walking around to buissnesses and filling out applications, however his results were ineffective. Finally he visited the library to use email and he discovered online job searching. This would be a far more effective way to search for a job. He also considered visiting an employment angency as Sarge suggested. He was assigned a case worker named Kazia. He began to make friends with other members in the shelter. He continued working ar Easylabor in the meantime.

Chapter 2

The next day, Adam Shepard signs up for an "Easy Labor: Work Today, Pay Today" company in the morning. He had been warned against this by a man named Sarge due to its unfavorable wages, however he goes anyways for lack of cash. he works for as low as $6 to $6.75 an hour, only walking away with $4.50. However he says that some people find this arrangement more appealing than a real job because they don't have to work when they don't want to and because they receive immediate cash when they need it. Shepard used his days funds to buy essential necessities such as food and clothes. He made friends with some of the other people at the shelter, especially a man named Marco.

Chapter 1

Adam Shepard starts his excursion in Charleston, South Carolina. He chose to get there via train because it was the cheapest. He goes downtown and tries to avoid fights or spending money, however he pays for a bus fare. He finds shelter at Crisis Ministries, a homeless shelter. He deems it not very clean, but home for the moment.

Introduction

Adam Shepard is tired of people with apathetic attitudes saying that the American Dream is dead, so he sets out to disprove their complaints. He begins with nothing but a tarp, a sleeping bag, a gym bag, $25, and a pair of clothes. He has 1 year to to get a car, an apartment, $2,500, and a way to keep improving his life. His belief is that you simply need the right attitude to achieve the American Dream. So he began his year-long challenge to prove that the American Dream really is true.