02235cam a2200325 i 4500 693075930 TxGeo 20230309120000.0 220328s2023||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 9780063028005 hbk. 006302800X hbk. (OCoLC)1308412623 TxGeo rda Quart, Alissa, author. Bootstrapped : liberating ourselves from the American Dream / Alissa Quart. First edition. New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2023] xii, 276 pages ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. "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." -- Provided by publisher. 20230320. Social classes United States. American Dream. Self-reliance United States. Equality United States. QS5