Discussion Questions (Charlie)

1. Adam made up a story about how he became homeless and came to the shelter... obviously it was fabricated; how many stories do you think he was told were also fabricated? How many people do you think are homeless for a legitimate reason or for reason such as being lazy etc...?

The answer to the first question lies within an opinion. My opinion is that I am sure at least half of the stories he was told weren't true because why would people just completely open up to a stranger? I know I sure wouldn't.

2. Adam obviously spent a lot of time thinking of how to make this "research project" as realistic and legitimate as possible, is there anything that he didn't do that you can see so far? Or is there anything that you think was smart of him to do? Continue along those lines...

I wonder exactly how he remembered all the exact quotes and all the stories to the exact point because it isn't like he could interview and write everything down on the spot. With that said I wonder exactly how much of the stories he wrote about were changed to simply make the book better.

3. "Sarge" told Adam no to make friends because you never really know who someone is, so you don't know who you can trust; Adam disagreed with Sarge, what do you guys think? Are friends a necessity to make it out of poverty or are they something that could possibly put you further into poverty?

I believe that friends are going to be a necessity in Adams journey for the American dream and they are going to be a huge part in his success. Friends and connections will be the very things that keep Adam motivated to continue on his treacherous and tough journey.

4. Would you say that Adam has an advantage over some of the other homeless people because of his age, as in terms of work and employers and health etc...? What advantages and disadvantages is Adam dealing with in his attempt to find the American dream?

I think that Adam does have an advantage because of his age and physical health. He is a young man freshly out of college and doesn't have the wear and tear of life affecting him yet. Although there are some advantages to being young on his journey there are also some disadvantages. One huge disadvantage would be that he doesn't have veyr much experience and experience coudl be the very thing that would ensure his success.