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.