Bootstrapped, Alissa Quart
Bootstrapped, Alissa Quart
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Bootstrapped
Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream

Author: Alissa Quart

Narrator: Beth Hicks

Unabridged: 7 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 03/14/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

An unsparing, incisive, yet 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.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Alissa Quart

Alissa Quart is the author of four previous books of nonfiction, including Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America and Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers, and two books of poetry, most recently Thoughts and Prayers. She is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and has written for many publications, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Time. Her honors include an Emmy Award, an SPJ Award, and Nieman Fellowship. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David

Among the crazier metaphors of American society is bootstrapping. It refers to leather flaps at the top of tall, tight boots, that were the only way to pull them on. Two hundred years ago, someone used that to refer to succeeding in life. It begat the “self-made man”. And they have jointly become th......more

Goodreads review by Carter

Alissa Quart's forthcoming book Bootstrapped swims against the tide of "fierce independence" in America. And it is a forceful tide. Politicians, teachers, writers, and every day parents pass on the story of America as a place where "if you work hard and play by the rules you can make it". From the "......more

Wow, okay. This was everything I wanted it to be and more. This book holds nothing back while diving into the toxic "self-reliance" that characterizes American culture. I loved how this book started with the history of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" and how it started off as a joke. A lite......more

Goodreads review by Thomas

This book is well written but it feels a little shallow in its discussion of the issues. Quart’s writing is polished and she makes her points well, but as someone that shares many of her opinions, I didn’t feel that this book added much to my perspective.......more

Goodreads review by Carol

I listened to the Audible version of this book. The narration is excellent and the author does a thorough job of explaining the myth of the”self-made man” or “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” The chapters cover many topics that I might not have related to “bootstrapping” but certainly do. Th......more