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Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream
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.
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.
8 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 14, 2023
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About the author
Alissa Quart
13 books127 followersAlissa Quart is the executive editor of the journalism non-profit Economic Hardship Reporting Project. She co-founded its current incarnation with Barbara Ehrenreich. She is also the author of four previous acclaimed books, “Branded,’’ “Republic of Outsiders,’’ “Hothouse Kids’’ and the poetry book “Monetized.’’ She writes the Outclassed column for The Guardian and has published features and reported commentary in many magazines and newspapers, most recently for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Nation and The New York Review of Books. She has won the Columbia Journalism School’s 2018 Alumni Award and the LA Press Club Award for Commentary, was a 2010 Nieman fellow at Harvard University, and has been nominated for an Emmy and a National Magazine Award.
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March 13, 2023
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 the American ideal and requirement for success. But as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has pointed out, lifting oneself up by the bootstraps is a physical impossibility; “The whole thing is a joke.” No one is self-made.
Nonetheless, pulling oneself up by the bootstraps has become the American answer to failure, injury, persecution, poverty, homelessness and prejudice. It is an excuse as much as it is a prescription. In Alissa Quart’s Bootstrapped, the remarkable sickness this joke has produced is exposed for all its inherent hypocrisy. And she offers a bunch of alternatives that are real, even in the USA.
The hypocrisy of bootstrapping comes in the form of self-promotion, mostly by the very rich. They love to claim they are self-made. That no one helped them at any point, and that they succeeded purely thanks to their own smarts and perseverance. And in spite of life and its obstacles. This, as Quart points out again and again, is total nonsense.
She examines the roles of parents, particularly mothers, in helping form, train and aid the development of these self-made people. They get no credit, to the point of being erased from biographies, she says.
Among the real bootstrappers are the side-hustlers, holding down two and sometimes three jobs, never getting ahead and barely hanging on. Hard work is their lives. Success never arises. America does not want to hear their stories. They want to hear that Kylie Jenner of Kardashian fame is a self-made billionaire at the age of 23; she did it all herself with no help from anyone. Everyone needs to make it on their own like she did. If you don’t, it’s your own fault.
Quart also looks at societal benefits like infrastructure, banking and especially government that permit some people to succeed better than others. One example she does not dwell on is Elon Musk, who is reputed to have received $15.9 billion in loans, grants and subsidies that have helped his firms Tesla and SpaceX survive and thrive. Without that truly massive cash infusion, Musk would be a mundane millionaire, thanks mostly to his beating back the entrepreneurs of the companies he purchased. It’s typical of a bootstrapping story: false.
Unfortunately, Americans don’t just dwell on the positive aspects of bootstrapping. They use it far more to damn and humiliate the poor, the non-white, the handicapped and the different. They inform the poor, destitute and homeless they are simply lazy. Americans take pride in stamping “I need lunch money!” on the arms of children too poor for the school lunch program. An actually free lunch would be a “slow addiction” according to lawmakers. Those in trouble, homeless, ill and unlucky are told to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps because each of them is the master of their own destiny. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the bulk of Quart’s book is a compendium of different examples of the infinite ways America keeps people back and down despite their best efforts.. From government bureaucracy keeping people from anti-poverty programs to unavailable healthcare, bootstrapping is the answer.
There are revealing interviews with self-made men and women, who admit to their luck in business, in they’re being white (and particularly white male), with access to family funds, bank loans, job offers and partnerships that all but guarantee their success. The uneducated, the poor, the unconnected and the nonwhite are far, far less likely to ever achieve the same success, even when they are sharper, more talented, more creative and more inspired. Quart cites Pamela Walker Laird, an economic historian saying in America, if you have succeeded, it is because you are corrupt.
There’s a particularly galling chapter on girlbosses, successful women who have it all and have done it all by themselves. No credit is given to the women they hire to care for their children, or the advisors, consultants and mentors they rely on to keep ahead of the breaking wave. Time and again, it was never a case of pulling themselves up by the bootstraps that got them where they are. It took a very large team of the uncredited.
I don’t know if they do this any more, but several years ago the OECD analyzed student scores in a multitude of subjects and positions. The OECD comprises the top couple of dozen fully modernized nations, the richest and presumably best able to produce valuable human beings. American students did really badly in things like reading, writing, science and arithmetic. But they came in first worldwide in one area: self-esteem. Americans focus above all else on teaching their children they are invincible, that they can achieve anything with hard work and that nothing can stop them from succeeding if they apply themselves. Actual education, experience and talent don’t figure in the equation. Everyone is on their own and self-esteem is key to making it.
This is the dismal “Horatio Alger” syndrome, where underdogs become demi-gods by dint of hard work. Like the pedophile Alger, the lives he portrayed were bogus. Norman Vincent Peale wasn’t far behind, leveraging a positive attitude into a million dollar business on the backs of these who hadn’t reached his heights. It’s a slice of the American Dream, and like the Dream, quite unreal.
In America, Gofundme.com was founded to leverage new creativity in arts, culture and business. This is clearly the opposite of bootstrapping: mass-co-operation and collaboration. But instead, Quart and the site’s founder damn American society for turning it into a healthcare bankruptcy site, where thousands beg for help with insurmountable medical bills. To its founder’s horror, it has become the poster child for inequality instead of creativity. You can’t bootstrap your way out of cancer. But that’s the American attitude; you are on your own.
In a bootstrap society, there isn’t even any trickle down effect – bootstrappers keep it all, Quart says. Benefits not only don’t spread downward, they don’t even spread outward. Quart gives the remarkable stat that billionaires could have paid the $3400 pandemic survival payments to “all 330 million–plus Americans and still be richer than they were at the start of the pandemic: they had had a wealth gain of $1.8 trillion,” she says. But they didn’t help. They kept it all – offshore.
Bootstrapping goes completely against the biologically built-in need for collectivity and collaborative effort. Ayn Rand, once again, was completely wrong, as Quart shows definitively. But she has believers in the millions in America. No society has flourished with this mantra at its core..
Quart comes at this from a lifetime of helping others, including her work at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, which she founded. It has opened her eyes to examples of interdependence, by which people help each other to success. There are many flavors of it, such as mutual aid, public budgeting, co-ops, and volunteering. She examines all of them for their positive effects, each different.
We used to call it serfdom, then it was called bootstrapping. Now of course, Americans call it freedom. But serfdom comes closest to the truth. Because the hard truth about bootstrapping is that 60% of wealth in America is inherited, according to Robert Reich, a former Secretary of Labor. Fortunes beget fortunes. For the rest, God bless.
We know what works for the rest – co-operative communities. Quart nails it in Bootstrapped.
David Wineberg
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September 21, 2022Quart shreds the myth that white wealth comes from individualism, while inheritance and theft are the realities. She then breaks down how these lies are used to exploit America's poorest workers, creating unprecedented wealth for the few. Clear writing and consequential arguments make this an enlightening and informative page turner.
August 21, 2022
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 "self-made" millionaires and billionaires like Bezos and Musk to the viral stars of TikTok and YouTube, success in America is largely seen as coming only from hard work and innate intelligence or skill.
But, as Quart points out at length, these stories are just that -- stories. At best they are fairy tales and at worst outright lies. No one has ever really been "self-made". Elon Musk's family made millions exploiting people in South Africa, Jeff Bezos started Amazon with hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment from his family, etc. In Quart's final chapter, she even calls on us to examine our own successes and to understand and publicly acknowledge the support and interdependence that got us where we are. No one stands alone, but in America there is a toxic mythology of "pulling one up by their bootstraps" that poisons the possibility of communal success.
Bootstrapped is split into four major parts: 1) examining the myth of being "self-made", 2) exposing hypocrisies in so-called "self-made" people, 3) showcasing the hardships of everyday people on the wrong end of the "self-made" myth, and 4) giving us a whirlwind tour of the possibilities of communal success (from mutual aid societies to co-ops to "Patriotic Millionaires"). It's a good structure and it builds on itself to the conclusions that Quart wants us to take away: 1) that the "self-made" myth is a lie and 2) that we can all be better off if we learn to rely on each other (both within our communities and through broad social policy).
Bootstrapped is well-researched, but not academic. In fact, Quart uses an everyday vocabulary that makes the work really accessible. The book isn't entirely rigorous about the origins of the mythology of independence in America, instead picking well-known examples and deconstructing them. A significant portion of the first part is spent on Horatio Alger, for example, since his name is so apt to come up in referring to "self-made" people. But there are plenty of pre-colonial English intellectual traditions and earlier works that surely contributed to this myth in America. This is intentional, though. Quart is aiming this book at a more mass audience and doesn't fall into the trap of turning the book into a complete intellectual history of American libertarianism -- I think that's one of the book's biggest successes.
Quart focuses a lot on hypocrisy to deconstruct some of the mythmaking, which didn't always land for me. Pointing out that Henry David Thoreau actually had guests and help while living on Walden Pond is interesting revisionism, but it doesn't necessarily undermine the intellectual arguments he was making. Quart is on much more solid territory in pointing out the rank hypocrisy of calling the family in Little House on the Prairie "independent" when they were giving their property by the federal government (which had stolen it from indigenous peoples). If you're looking for a sustained, academic argument against these intellectual threads, you're not going to find that in Bootstrapped. What you will find are solid rhetorical jabs that are a very welcome counterpunch to the traditional narrative.
Occasionally the chapters feel like essays written in isolation (especially when Quart mentions the same fact twice, like a Pew survey or the Amazon organizing in Bessemer, as if they hadn't been referenced earlier). I did feel like I wished there was more of a narrative thread to the book or recurring characters that Quarts was interviewing and following. On the other hand, but being more isolated, each chapter can stand a bit on its own as a statement. It's a hard balancing act, and I felt like it was weighted a bit too much toward essays.
As an Elizabeth Warren Democrat, I'm obviously biased in favor of many of the policy proposals in this book. For example, I think a wealth tax is sorely needed in this country. What Quart brings to the table is powerful rhetorical arguments to counter the narrative of "well, those rich people earned that money all on their own". No, they didn't. They had vast amounts of help from their families, their country, and the workers they exploit. People aren't "self-made" and no one can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps -- the metaphor itself is nonsensical.
And that leads to my final point, and the biggest thing that Quart missed the mark on. The "bootstraps" metaphor is literally the name of this book. While Quart does a superior job of deconstructing it and showing what is possible if we see the value in our shared connections, she doesn't offer an alternative metaphor. Quart clearly understands the power of the "bootstrapping" myth as rhetoric and takes pains to undermine it. What I really wanted, though, was a competing metaphor or story that I could use when pushing back against this narrative myself. I think the lack of that narrative framework holds this book back as a piece of activism, even though it absolutely succeeds as a piece of nonfiction and reporting.
But, as Quart points out at length, these stories are just that -- stories. At best they are fairy tales and at worst outright lies. No one has ever really been "self-made". Elon Musk's family made millions exploiting people in South Africa, Jeff Bezos started Amazon with hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment from his family, etc. In Quart's final chapter, she even calls on us to examine our own successes and to understand and publicly acknowledge the support and interdependence that got us where we are. No one stands alone, but in America there is a toxic mythology of "pulling one up by their bootstraps" that poisons the possibility of communal success.
Bootstrapped is split into four major parts: 1) examining the myth of being "self-made", 2) exposing hypocrisies in so-called "self-made" people, 3) showcasing the hardships of everyday people on the wrong end of the "self-made" myth, and 4) giving us a whirlwind tour of the possibilities of communal success (from mutual aid societies to co-ops to "Patriotic Millionaires"). It's a good structure and it builds on itself to the conclusions that Quart wants us to take away: 1) that the "self-made" myth is a lie and 2) that we can all be better off if we learn to rely on each other (both within our communities and through broad social policy).
Bootstrapped is well-researched, but not academic. In fact, Quart uses an everyday vocabulary that makes the work really accessible. The book isn't entirely rigorous about the origins of the mythology of independence in America, instead picking well-known examples and deconstructing them. A significant portion of the first part is spent on Horatio Alger, for example, since his name is so apt to come up in referring to "self-made" people. But there are plenty of pre-colonial English intellectual traditions and earlier works that surely contributed to this myth in America. This is intentional, though. Quart is aiming this book at a more mass audience and doesn't fall into the trap of turning the book into a complete intellectual history of American libertarianism -- I think that's one of the book's biggest successes.
Quart focuses a lot on hypocrisy to deconstruct some of the mythmaking, which didn't always land for me. Pointing out that Henry David Thoreau actually had guests and help while living on Walden Pond is interesting revisionism, but it doesn't necessarily undermine the intellectual arguments he was making. Quart is on much more solid territory in pointing out the rank hypocrisy of calling the family in Little House on the Prairie "independent" when they were giving their property by the federal government (which had stolen it from indigenous peoples). If you're looking for a sustained, academic argument against these intellectual threads, you're not going to find that in Bootstrapped. What you will find are solid rhetorical jabs that are a very welcome counterpunch to the traditional narrative.
Occasionally the chapters feel like essays written in isolation (especially when Quart mentions the same fact twice, like a Pew survey or the Amazon organizing in Bessemer, as if they hadn't been referenced earlier). I did feel like I wished there was more of a narrative thread to the book or recurring characters that Quarts was interviewing and following. On the other hand, but being more isolated, each chapter can stand a bit on its own as a statement. It's a hard balancing act, and I felt like it was weighted a bit too much toward essays.
As an Elizabeth Warren Democrat, I'm obviously biased in favor of many of the policy proposals in this book. For example, I think a wealth tax is sorely needed in this country. What Quart brings to the table is powerful rhetorical arguments to counter the narrative of "well, those rich people earned that money all on their own". No, they didn't. They had vast amounts of help from their families, their country, and the workers they exploit. People aren't "self-made" and no one can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps -- the metaphor itself is nonsensical.
And that leads to my final point, and the biggest thing that Quart missed the mark on. The "bootstraps" metaphor is literally the name of this book. While Quart does a superior job of deconstructing it and showing what is possible if we see the value in our shared connections, she doesn't offer an alternative metaphor. Quart clearly understands the power of the "bootstrapping" myth as rhetoric and takes pains to undermine it. What I really wanted, though, was a competing metaphor or story that I could use when pushing back against this narrative myself. I think the lack of that narrative framework holds this book back as a piece of activism, even though it absolutely succeeds as a piece of nonfiction and reporting.
October 5, 2022
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 literal joke because it's physically impossible. I love hearing true U.S. history accounts and I learned so much in the first few chapters alone. Not to mention the rest of this phenomenal book.
Quart tackles hefty concepts/myths like "grit" and being "self-made" with grace. All of the topics touched on I could relate to on a personal level. Coming from a lower middle-class family I truly believed that if I worked hard enough, I could overcome any barrier in life. The day I turned 16 I got my first job and ended up having two jobs through the rest of my high school career. I worked myself ragged for the majority of my life, only to still feel like a failure when I was living paycheck to paycheck. This book definitely relieved some serious shame that was ingrained in me since a child. I loved how Quart really confronted the hypocrisy of the ultra-rich and the danger of a capitalist mindset. The personal accounts further proved her point and showed just how detrimental it is to whole-heartedly believe that you're not hindered by oppressive systems, you just simply are not talented or capable enough to achieve what America deems a success.
Despite all the heavy topics, this book still ended on a positive, uplifting note. Change is possible and one of the most beneficial routes to it is mutual aide and general empathy. Highly, highly recommend. There's a lot of people who would probably never pick this up but really need to...Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Quart tackles hefty concepts/myths like "grit" and being "self-made" with grace. All of the topics touched on I could relate to on a personal level. Coming from a lower middle-class family I truly believed that if I worked hard enough, I could overcome any barrier in life. The day I turned 16 I got my first job and ended up having two jobs through the rest of my high school career. I worked myself ragged for the majority of my life, only to still feel like a failure when I was living paycheck to paycheck. This book definitely relieved some serious shame that was ingrained in me since a child. I loved how Quart really confronted the hypocrisy of the ultra-rich and the danger of a capitalist mindset. The personal accounts further proved her point and showed just how detrimental it is to whole-heartedly believe that you're not hindered by oppressive systems, you just simply are not talented or capable enough to achieve what America deems a success.
Despite all the heavy topics, this book still ended on a positive, uplifting note. Change is possible and one of the most beneficial routes to it is mutual aide and general empathy. Highly, highly recommend. There's a lot of people who would probably never pick this up but really need to...Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
March 31, 2023
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.
May 29, 2023
Not a bad read, but definitely geared toward more of a centrist reader who hasn't devoted much time to thinking about social programs and how the nonexistent US social safety net might actually function for the betterment of all. As others have noted, the research is a bit thin, so it's not the best option for someone looking for more depth. Still, I hope it's read widely by liberals so that they are encouraged to support actually substantial, meaningful, and impactful social programs.
May 21, 2023
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. The epilogue is excellent in helping a person that is not in a position to cause legislative change to see how he or she can push back against the narrative of “self-made” and “resilience.” Interesting background on Horacio Alger, Ayn Rand, and Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family.
June 7, 2023
Our societal admiration--more like worship--for succeeding entirely due to one's own talent and hard work is so culturally ingrained that we're hardly aware of it. Almost everyone who has had some success wants to feel they did it entirely on their own merit and efforts when, as the author points out, we all rely on others. This bootstrapping myth profoundly affects how we treat others who, both when growing up and as adults, haven't enjoyed anything close to a level playing field with those having more wealth and privilege.
Very thought provoking, thorough, and politically relevant.
Very thought provoking, thorough, and politically relevant.
July 29, 2022
Is it just my imagination or is chasing the American dream downright exhausting?
There's something exhilarating about Alissa Quart's "Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream," a no-holds-barred exploration of the American obsession with self-reliance and how that has turned us, instead of actually being self-reliant, into a society that is less equal, less healthy, less fulfilled, and productive.
Quart, an acclaimed journalist and author of "Evicted" and "Nickel and Dimed," starts from the central concept that we've been raised as Americans with the false promise that we can all pull ourselves up by the "bootstraps" as we strive for the American dream. According to Quart, it's a false and unrealistic belief that leads to shame and self-blame when the forces outside ourselves work against us and many of us are left trying to pull up our bootstraps without possessing a pair of boots or straps.
As a double amputee without feet, I can definitely identify with not having boots. Ya know?
I've long said that as a paraplegic/double amputee, I've grown up more embracing of the idea of interdependence and a belief that we all need each other. I've long believed that our community functions better when we move away from self-reliance and into a space of intertwining responsibility for one another.
Thus, I guess you could say that Quart is definitely preaching to the choir with me. While I certainly have dreams, I've enthusiastically rejected the central American dream that stresses hyper-capitalism and a sense of independence that is for the most part false anyway. As someone with a disability, even terms like "independent living" turn me off as I believe a communal responsibility and accountability is a healthier way to live and leads to happier, healthier, more productive, and more peaceful communities.
Having this resonance with Quart's argument also, somewhat inevitably, means that I was somewhat familiar with a good majority of the material presented in "Bootstrapped." This may very well have hindered my appreciation for the book, thus a 4-star instead of a 5-star rating, but certainly not my appreciation for the actual arguments Quart makes.
Quart looks at a variety of delusions, half-solutions, myths, and other ideas including the simple concept of "grit," the false Horatio Alger story, and the incredible rise of crowdfunding in exploring the impact of an increasingly burdened population tasked with solving comprehensive life problems and accumulating massive debt while the government fails in its basic responsibilities of providing a sound social structure in areas like education, healthcare, and others.
"Bootstrapped" is ultimately a passionate call to release ourselves from the burdens of the American Dream and instead to lean into a stronger community invested in the mutual common good. "Bootstrapped" may be grounded in many ways within Quart's own lived experiences, however, it's also a remarkably well researched book with references and sources equally nearly 20% of the entire book.
There are brief moments in "Bootstrapped" when it seems as if the central argument gets lost within the illustrations and when I longed for a more research-based argument to support basic assertions. For example, I'd love actual studies indicating the impact of self-reliance vs. those communities or programs that operate more from a common good or, in essence, the proof to support the effectiveness of the argument. However, these are minor quibbles for a book I embraced from beginning to end and look forward to referring to time and again.
It's difficult to imagine that "Bootstrapped" will win a lot of new followers to Quart's central ideas, however, what it does do remarkably well is put to words what many Americans likely feel as they struggle more and more with a challenged economy, a system still burdened by a pandemic, and a society increasingly guided by technology that often increases our sense of isolation and disconnect.
Both an enjoyable and incredibly intelligent read, "Bootstrapped" is a compassionate and insightful call to action for those who are tired of chasing the American dream and who instead want to build a better life and community for everyone.
There's something exhilarating about Alissa Quart's "Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream," a no-holds-barred exploration of the American obsession with self-reliance and how that has turned us, instead of actually being self-reliant, into a society that is less equal, less healthy, less fulfilled, and productive.
Quart, an acclaimed journalist and author of "Evicted" and "Nickel and Dimed," starts from the central concept that we've been raised as Americans with the false promise that we can all pull ourselves up by the "bootstraps" as we strive for the American dream. According to Quart, it's a false and unrealistic belief that leads to shame and self-blame when the forces outside ourselves work against us and many of us are left trying to pull up our bootstraps without possessing a pair of boots or straps.
As a double amputee without feet, I can definitely identify with not having boots. Ya know?
I've long said that as a paraplegic/double amputee, I've grown up more embracing of the idea of interdependence and a belief that we all need each other. I've long believed that our community functions better when we move away from self-reliance and into a space of intertwining responsibility for one another.
Thus, I guess you could say that Quart is definitely preaching to the choir with me. While I certainly have dreams, I've enthusiastically rejected the central American dream that stresses hyper-capitalism and a sense of independence that is for the most part false anyway. As someone with a disability, even terms like "independent living" turn me off as I believe a communal responsibility and accountability is a healthier way to live and leads to happier, healthier, more productive, and more peaceful communities.
Having this resonance with Quart's argument also, somewhat inevitably, means that I was somewhat familiar with a good majority of the material presented in "Bootstrapped." This may very well have hindered my appreciation for the book, thus a 4-star instead of a 5-star rating, but certainly not my appreciation for the actual arguments Quart makes.
Quart looks at a variety of delusions, half-solutions, myths, and other ideas including the simple concept of "grit," the false Horatio Alger story, and the incredible rise of crowdfunding in exploring the impact of an increasingly burdened population tasked with solving comprehensive life problems and accumulating massive debt while the government fails in its basic responsibilities of providing a sound social structure in areas like education, healthcare, and others.
"Bootstrapped" is ultimately a passionate call to release ourselves from the burdens of the American Dream and instead to lean into a stronger community invested in the mutual common good. "Bootstrapped" may be grounded in many ways within Quart's own lived experiences, however, it's also a remarkably well researched book with references and sources equally nearly 20% of the entire book.
There are brief moments in "Bootstrapped" when it seems as if the central argument gets lost within the illustrations and when I longed for a more research-based argument to support basic assertions. For example, I'd love actual studies indicating the impact of self-reliance vs. those communities or programs that operate more from a common good or, in essence, the proof to support the effectiveness of the argument. However, these are minor quibbles for a book I embraced from beginning to end and look forward to referring to time and again.
It's difficult to imagine that "Bootstrapped" will win a lot of new followers to Quart's central ideas, however, what it does do remarkably well is put to words what many Americans likely feel as they struggle more and more with a challenged economy, a system still burdened by a pandemic, and a society increasingly guided by technology that often increases our sense of isolation and disconnect.
Both an enjoyable and incredibly intelligent read, "Bootstrapped" is a compassionate and insightful call to action for those who are tired of chasing the American dream and who instead want to build a better life and community for everyone.
April 19, 2022
Bootstrapped by Alissa Quart is an essential read both for those who already at least vaguely understand the issue as well as those who have been privileged enough to think that "lifting oneself up by one's bootstraps" is actually a real possibility.
When you discuss the idea of extreme individualism with an advocate of it, even they have to acknowledge at least some degree of interdependence. Roads and infrastructure upkeep, training and skilled assistance, and other obvious examples. Yet they insist that what they have done, and what every other person can do, on an equal basis no less, is what Quart labels bootstrapping.
This book goes beyond the obvious examples and illustrates the many ways that this mistaken mentality has, and continues, to hurt people as well as our nation. As the examples and illustrations add up it seems like it would be so obvious that this is a counterproductive way of viewing life and success. Yet entitlement and privilege don't give up easy, and many will still, with nothing but stories of the few who appear to embody their belief, cast blame for hardships on those suffering the hardship.
I would recommend this book to everyone but especially those who seem to have this discussion with others on a regular basis. This book offers many talking points that will at least make those willing to engage reconsider the idea of bootstrapping.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
When you discuss the idea of extreme individualism with an advocate of it, even they have to acknowledge at least some degree of interdependence. Roads and infrastructure upkeep, training and skilled assistance, and other obvious examples. Yet they insist that what they have done, and what every other person can do, on an equal basis no less, is what Quart labels bootstrapping.
This book goes beyond the obvious examples and illustrates the many ways that this mistaken mentality has, and continues, to hurt people as well as our nation. As the examples and illustrations add up it seems like it would be so obvious that this is a counterproductive way of viewing life and success. Yet entitlement and privilege don't give up easy, and many will still, with nothing but stories of the few who appear to embody their belief, cast blame for hardships on those suffering the hardship.
I would recommend this book to everyone but especially those who seem to have this discussion with others on a regular basis. This book offers many talking points that will at least make those willing to engage reconsider the idea of bootstrapping.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
September 6, 2022
The idea of “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” has always been infuriating to me. America’s obsession with individualism sits on a throne of lies and erodes the interdependence infrastructure that helps people thrive. So you might have guessed that I really enjoyed this book, and you would be right.
Starting with an examination of the origin stories of the “self-made” myth (anyone who has suffered through an American literature class will be happy to see Thoreau’s Walden pond experience dismantled) and moving through the negative effects this mindset has on individuals and society as a whole this book is a birds-eye view of how this is hurting us. The second half of the book highlights collective actions and organizations that are making inroads where the bootstrapped policy of our legislature has failed. Most of which will be pretty familiar to anyone with previous exposure to left-leaning political ideas.
The examples of how the "bootstrapping" ideology has failed us and the consequences of that failure in this book are numerous and depressingly familiar with corporate mindfulness, gofundme for healthcare costs, and hustle porn. This all aggregates to a boring dystopia. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about how our self-made myths are hurting us and how together we could find our way out.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco Press for an advanced reader copy.
Starting with an examination of the origin stories of the “self-made” myth (anyone who has suffered through an American literature class will be happy to see Thoreau’s Walden pond experience dismantled) and moving through the negative effects this mindset has on individuals and society as a whole this book is a birds-eye view of how this is hurting us. The second half of the book highlights collective actions and organizations that are making inroads where the bootstrapped policy of our legislature has failed. Most of which will be pretty familiar to anyone with previous exposure to left-leaning political ideas.
The examples of how the "bootstrapping" ideology has failed us and the consequences of that failure in this book are numerous and depressingly familiar with corporate mindfulness, gofundme for healthcare costs, and hustle porn. This all aggregates to a boring dystopia. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about how our self-made myths are hurting us and how together we could find our way out.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco Press for an advanced reader copy.
June 3, 2023
Where to begin? It’s a very difficult read. The author throws around a lot of big words trying to make herself sound smart and what’s funny is the people who agree with her don’t understand anymore what she is saying than she does. She HATES that people can work hard and be successful so she claims that it’s a myth or propaganda, that even the writer who takes credit for writing a book must secretly have hired a ghost writer, making me think she is probably referring to herself.
In her chapter about Laura Ingall’s Wilder she states that Wilder completely lied about her self reliance while another fiction writer who demonized hard work and hard working must have been telling the unvarnished truth.
There is a definite agenda here and that is to say anyone who would rather work hard than rely upon the government must be lying about their success and they are solely to blame for why communism and socialism fails. If only they would embrace handouts rather than working hard socialism and communism would be a great success. At least that’s what I think she’s saying after you mull through her words that are there simply to make her look smart.
If you are looking for a book that vilifies hard work and tells you to sit at home collecting welfare then I am sure you will enjoy reading this, if you believe that you can succeed by working hard and that large bloated government is the problem you will probably find her writing to be very difficult to understand and enjoy.
In her chapter about Laura Ingall’s Wilder she states that Wilder completely lied about her self reliance while another fiction writer who demonized hard work and hard working must have been telling the unvarnished truth.
There is a definite agenda here and that is to say anyone who would rather work hard than rely upon the government must be lying about their success and they are solely to blame for why communism and socialism fails. If only they would embrace handouts rather than working hard socialism and communism would be a great success. At least that’s what I think she’s saying after you mull through her words that are there simply to make her look smart.
If you are looking for a book that vilifies hard work and tells you to sit at home collecting welfare then I am sure you will enjoy reading this, if you believe that you can succeed by working hard and that large bloated government is the problem you will probably find her writing to be very difficult to understand and enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2022
This is a self-help book that has a front of being political science. Some of the narrative and language used was too casual for my taste and reminded me of that book "the subtle art of not giving a f*ck". There were many, many personal stories of people but I found that I skimmed alot. Just saying something is bootstrapped, doesn't make it so. I believe the author needed a stronger argument and tighter text to make this successful to a wider audience.
An advanced copy was kindly provided by the publisher upon request, via NetGalley.
An advanced copy was kindly provided by the publisher upon request, via NetGalley.
September 7, 2023
This was basically a banger all the way through, ripping apart Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (two authors whom I actually quite like) and curb-stomping Laura Ingles Wilder.
Anyone who is suspicious of the idea that humans are made to grow, live, and die alone should consider giving this a read.
Anyone who is suspicious of the idea that humans are made to grow, live, and die alone should consider giving this a read.
December 16, 2023
I read this for work, but it was great. It’s not like terribly entertaining, but it answers a lot of those questions your conservative and or boomer relatives might have about “why can’t they just lift themselves out of poverty” with intelligent and evidence based information. I also got to meet Alissa Quart in person at work and she rocks! I am always here for the quality journalism
April 8, 2025
liberation will never come from oppressing others, and sure as hell won’t come from ascribing to the values of a capitalist state. lacked some depth around certain issues but overall did a great job demonstrating the depth of ignorance and harm around the idea of “bootstrapping”.
June 2, 2023
Blowing up the myth of the self made success/bootstrap fairy tale. The whole idea has become so ingrained that it is hard to see how to uproot it, it is in many childhood books, movies, business magazines and more. Plus the "self made" tend to perpetuate the myth by obscuring the true assistance they got on their way to the top, which likely explains why they hoard their wealth or only give to the fancy charities that reflect back on them. Our who system has become a mess of no support, or hard to qualify programs, while blaming the very people the programs should help for not being able to make progress. We shouldn't need go fund me to cover medical bills, or have the news covering $21,000 concert tickets as if that is a real news story, or see the wealthiest avoid paying all but the bare minimum in taxes. Yet here we are.
July 21, 2023
Thank you to Net Galley and Ecco for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an illuminating read about the self-made myth. She breaks the subject down but touching upon how we came to the myth of bootstrapping/the self-made man and statistics around generational wealth, privilege, inequalities in gender, and racism especially seen during the pandemic), how the myth hurts us all and how we can improve America through helping others and having interconnection through volunteering, community and throwing away this myth for better understanding and empathy.
June 6, 2024
I’ve been thinking a lot about the American Dream’s romantic obsession with individualism, so obviously this title jumped out. This is kind of a broad book, but I still found it insightful. It’s short & accessible & I think would be a really good jumping off point if you’re interested in these ideas. Particularly loved the section on motherhood & how dependent children are (& how we kinda hate them for that).
February 23, 2025
Lots of good stuff in here to get the reader thinking about class and freeing ourselves from the expectations American culture places upon us. I did find myself feeling hopeful at times and feeling called to my communities. Quart obliterates historical and contemporary notions of individualism and wealth. The formula of the book got a little redundant and clunky after a bit. Overall, am happy I read it.
Read
October 21, 2023I loved it, but I’m the choir this book is preaching to. And yet, until a certain point in life, I bought into the myth of individualism, too.
I appreciated the structure of the book: starting with an analysis of how the dominant culture produces the ideal of individualism and ending with some suggestions for how to resist the myth.
I appreciated the structure of the book: starting with an analysis of how the dominant culture produces the ideal of individualism and ending with some suggestions for how to resist the myth.
June 12, 2023
A necessary and invaluable read for greater personal and political understanding. Let interdependence rule! Especially loved the part about socialist Darwinism - reminded me of one of my very favorite reads, Survival of the Friendliest. I recommend this book!
February 5, 2024
This book is a big-picture, philosophical thesis on why the colloquial "Bootstraps" are an American fantasy. It is one of those books that I think has permanently shifted the way I think and engage with American culture/politics.
July 22, 2024
This book serves as a great intro into thinking about Individualism and the pervasive impact America’s obsession with it has on everyday life. I found it to be very broad, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a great jumping off point if you’re interested in learning more about inequality across systems in the US.
January 20, 2024
I’ve long enjoyed Alissa Quart’s writing since I first read Branded many years ago. This book is excellent and lays out super articulately the myths of “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps” in part through the lens of Covid. Really appreciated her demystifying of Horatio Alger and her optimistic description of mutual aid efforts and call for interdependence.
March 31, 2023
I was really looking forward to the topic but I could not get into it. The writing style did not hold my attention and felt like the author was throwing in a lot to make a book.
November 2, 2022
We've all heard some variation on The American Dream: if you work hard, you will succeed in getting that big job, that big income, that big house, etc. etc. This ideal relies on what Quart calls "bootstrapping" -- the belief that individual effort and self-reliance are what you need to gain material success (and if you don't succeed, it's clearly your own fault). And it is, as Quart reveals over and over in this book, a big fat LIE.
Quart runs the journalism nonprofit Economic Hardship Reporting Project and understands income inequality inside and out, and she shows in this book just how damaging that inequality is in American society and psyches (especially given how that inequality increased throughout the pandemic). The bootstrapping narrative has undergirded American discourse through the days of Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, Horatio Alger, Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, up to present day, and it has successfully turned most people's attention away from the flawed social safety net and toward "uplifting" personal stories that claim all you need is grit, hustle, or to lean in.
This book offers an insightful look at the origins of the myth of individualism and how it has promoted the idea of inequality as status quo, and it will have you rethinking many of your own long-held beliefs or assumptions. Quart goes on to examine the burdens that the American Dream places on people, from the lack of assistance in paying medical bills or caring for children to the ongoing grind of hustle culture and the gig economy. The last section of the book presents suggestions for how to turn from the bootstrapping ideal to mutual aid and interdependence within our communities. (It would have been especially helpful to list ideas for pressuring lawmakers to change laws in order to help eradicate inequality, but I do recognize that that is a major, multifaceted endeavor.)
An absolutely vital read for those wanting to understand how we can combat the inequality that affects more and more of us every year -- and how we can create a supportive social safety net that catches everyone.
4.5 stars rounded up
Thank you, Ecco/HarperCollins and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
Quart runs the journalism nonprofit Economic Hardship Reporting Project and understands income inequality inside and out, and she shows in this book just how damaging that inequality is in American society and psyches (especially given how that inequality increased throughout the pandemic). The bootstrapping narrative has undergirded American discourse through the days of Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, Horatio Alger, Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, up to present day, and it has successfully turned most people's attention away from the flawed social safety net and toward "uplifting" personal stories that claim all you need is grit, hustle, or to lean in.
This book offers an insightful look at the origins of the myth of individualism and how it has promoted the idea of inequality as status quo, and it will have you rethinking many of your own long-held beliefs or assumptions. Quart goes on to examine the burdens that the American Dream places on people, from the lack of assistance in paying medical bills or caring for children to the ongoing grind of hustle culture and the gig economy. The last section of the book presents suggestions for how to turn from the bootstrapping ideal to mutual aid and interdependence within our communities. (It would have been especially helpful to list ideas for pressuring lawmakers to change laws in order to help eradicate inequality, but I do recognize that that is a major, multifaceted endeavor.)
An absolutely vital read for those wanting to understand how we can combat the inequality that affects more and more of us every year -- and how we can create a supportive social safety net that catches everyone.
4.5 stars rounded up
Thank you, Ecco/HarperCollins and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
November 19, 2022
I volunteer to help you pack your stuff so you can leave.
September 1, 2022
Alissa Quart has written a fantastic brief history of the US brand of individualism and the ways in which it is harmful - while also providing solace by introducing methods by which the damages caused by this ideology may be healed.
Bootstrapped unravels the origins of the self-made myth and ultimately argues for a shift from stubborn independence to interdependence utilizing historical examples and quotes from interviews with individuals from across a variety of economic backgrounds. This book was written in an accessible and enjoyable way and does not come across as overly academic, which often makes nonfiction writing more enjoyable and easier to consume.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through simply because of how frustrating the legacy of US "bootstrapping culture" is. However, I think this speaks to how well the damages done by this way of thinking is communicated in the writing. The last portion of the book provides much needed possible solutions to deal with the problems caused by such strong individualist cultural norms, e.g., mutual aid.
The deconstruction of US individualism, "bootstrapping," and self-made narratives in this book was refreshing to read. The background of how US individualism has come to be what it is today was enlightening. I highly recommend this book to anyone feeling the struggle of living in the US today. It may help readers better understand why things are the way they are (in part), and that it is possible that such things could be made better. Times are hard, but there is hope.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my review.
Bootstrapped unravels the origins of the self-made myth and ultimately argues for a shift from stubborn independence to interdependence utilizing historical examples and quotes from interviews with individuals from across a variety of economic backgrounds. This book was written in an accessible and enjoyable way and does not come across as overly academic, which often makes nonfiction writing more enjoyable and easier to consume.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through simply because of how frustrating the legacy of US "bootstrapping culture" is. However, I think this speaks to how well the damages done by this way of thinking is communicated in the writing. The last portion of the book provides much needed possible solutions to deal with the problems caused by such strong individualist cultural norms, e.g., mutual aid.
The deconstruction of US individualism, "bootstrapping," and self-made narratives in this book was refreshing to read. The background of how US individualism has come to be what it is today was enlightening. I highly recommend this book to anyone feeling the struggle of living in the US today. It may help readers better understand why things are the way they are (in part), and that it is possible that such things could be made better. Times are hard, but there is hope.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my review.
March 17, 2025
A Terse, But Insightful, Refutation of A Key American Myth
Alissa Quart’s “Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream” is a surprisingly terse, yet insightful, refutation of the American myth that we, as Americans, tend to succeed when we “pull ourselves by our bootstraps”, stressing individual achievement based on self-reliance. This is a book that should be read by all Americans, regardless of their political views, since it not only does a succinct job in demolishing this myth, but perhaps more importantly, serves as a clarion call for a new American myth based on community cooperation and sharing, not on relying on “rugged individualism” as the central theme of American existence. Hers is a view I support, despite my own political worldview in which I have identified myself as a Conservative Republican – often dubbing myself a “Darwinian Conservative Republican” – since it echoes much of what I know does exist within the natural world via my training as an evolutionary biologist, with substantial interspecific – as well as intraspecific – cooperation between different types of living things, of which one notable example is the co-existence of clownfish within the deadly tentacles of sea anemones. As Quart notes correctly in her chapter on Mutual Aid (Chapter 12), Charles Darwin’s conception of evolution via Natural Selection has too often been seen as a struggle for existence between organisms via intensive, often deadly, competition, when much of the natural world does show ample examples of cooperation between individuals of different species (interspecific) as well as between those with the same species (intraspecific). “Bootstrapped” should be seen as an important clarion call from Quart to change the notion of the American Dream itself, so we can emphasize more, the necessity for community cooperation and sharing between individuals, especially amongst those with different political and religious views.
Quart does an admirable job tearing apart seemingly timeless, popular myths regarding American “rugged individualism” as evidenced by the phrase “pull ourselves by our bootstraps”. She starts by questioning what Thoreau and Emerson tried to convey in their respective writings, stressing success via individual achievement, decades before the phrase “rugged individualism” was popularized by then President Herbert Hoover in the late 1920s. She demonstrates persuasively how much this myth was reflected in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books, noting how her family, the Ingalls, had to rely on substantial government support in claiming new land to own and to farm via the Homestead Act, which displaced many Native American tribes so that emigrant White families such as the Ingalls, could have available land to establish their homesteads and become farmers; a “right”, which it is clear that the Ingalls were not quite successful in claiming and succeeding for themselves. This was a right that was reserved almost exclusively to Whites, which Black Americans virtually never shared in the decades after the American Civil War. She also succeeds in questioning the realism of Horatio Alger and Ayn Rand’s novels, noting how unlikely that in real-life, their fictional protagonists could have succeeded.
Instead of achievement via self-reliance, Quart notes how successful businessmen like President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk succeeded, often despite substantial flaws in their personal character and business acumen. In Trump’s case, he succeeded because his father Fred Trump, had built a successful real estate empire in New York City, and Trump relied on his father’s financial legacy to build his global real estate empire, which, at times, would have failed without loans and other forms of assistance. With Elon Musk, much of his success can be attributed to government grants that did not take into account his ability to be financially responsible and efficient. In both cases this is especially worth noting given the fanaticism of those who support Trump’s vow for MAGA (Make America Great Again) and Trump and Musk’s determination to eliminate waste and fraud in government spending via their DOGE initiative, which unfortunately, is destroying much of what made the United States the world’s leader in biomedical research via their gross mishandling of affairs within the Department of Health and Human Services.
As someone trained in evolutionary biology – primarily in invertebrate paleobiology and to a lesser extent, ecology, who has used this training in healthcare and epidemiological research – I greatly appreciate Quart’s terse effort in reminding us that “Survival of the Fittest” in the natural world doesn’t mean “nature-is-violent”, but instead, as Darwin demonstrated in his writings, often means cooperation, not competition, for the survival of those who are the “fittest” to survive within their respective environments. She notes especially that Russian aristocrat Prince Peter Kropotkin, stressed mutualistic, quite cooperative, behavior, between organisms of different species. (Kropotkin’s importance to this aspect of ecology is emphasized in a biography written about him by University of Tennessee ecologist and historian of science Lee Dugatkin, a high school classmate of physicists Brian Greene and Lisa Randall; all three of them, along with Quart and yours truly, are fellow alumni of a notable New York City public high school which emphasizes science and mathematics in its curriculum.)
Quart concludes “Bootstrapped” in stressing the need for mutualism, for community-based mutual aid and cooperation, that will stress interdependence amongst our fellow American citizens. While Quart doesn’t devote much space regarding how such measures could be undertaken, she is a journalist, not a social scientist, and I would expect that those in the social sciences could develop effective strategies that could help ensure better cooperation and interdependence amongst Americans. Where I differ with Quart is her suggestion that we should tax the rich more to ensure that there is sufficient funding to build meaningful social safety nets for all Americans. Instead, perhaps persuasion, not coercion via higher tax rates, through targeted tax breaks and other financial incentives might be the most suitable means of constructing robust social safety nets. Regardless, “Bootstrapped” should be seen as required reading by all Americans, despite their political and economic differences, so that we can truly ensure that America is “Great” for all Americans, not merely those who have the financial means to appreciate and to enjoy this greatness.
Alissa Quart’s “Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream” is a surprisingly terse, yet insightful, refutation of the American myth that we, as Americans, tend to succeed when we “pull ourselves by our bootstraps”, stressing individual achievement based on self-reliance. This is a book that should be read by all Americans, regardless of their political views, since it not only does a succinct job in demolishing this myth, but perhaps more importantly, serves as a clarion call for a new American myth based on community cooperation and sharing, not on relying on “rugged individualism” as the central theme of American existence. Hers is a view I support, despite my own political worldview in which I have identified myself as a Conservative Republican – often dubbing myself a “Darwinian Conservative Republican” – since it echoes much of what I know does exist within the natural world via my training as an evolutionary biologist, with substantial interspecific – as well as intraspecific – cooperation between different types of living things, of which one notable example is the co-existence of clownfish within the deadly tentacles of sea anemones. As Quart notes correctly in her chapter on Mutual Aid (Chapter 12), Charles Darwin’s conception of evolution via Natural Selection has too often been seen as a struggle for existence between organisms via intensive, often deadly, competition, when much of the natural world does show ample examples of cooperation between individuals of different species (interspecific) as well as between those with the same species (intraspecific). “Bootstrapped” should be seen as an important clarion call from Quart to change the notion of the American Dream itself, so we can emphasize more, the necessity for community cooperation and sharing between individuals, especially amongst those with different political and religious views.
Quart does an admirable job tearing apart seemingly timeless, popular myths regarding American “rugged individualism” as evidenced by the phrase “pull ourselves by our bootstraps”. She starts by questioning what Thoreau and Emerson tried to convey in their respective writings, stressing success via individual achievement, decades before the phrase “rugged individualism” was popularized by then President Herbert Hoover in the late 1920s. She demonstrates persuasively how much this myth was reflected in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books, noting how her family, the Ingalls, had to rely on substantial government support in claiming new land to own and to farm via the Homestead Act, which displaced many Native American tribes so that emigrant White families such as the Ingalls, could have available land to establish their homesteads and become farmers; a “right”, which it is clear that the Ingalls were not quite successful in claiming and succeeding for themselves. This was a right that was reserved almost exclusively to Whites, which Black Americans virtually never shared in the decades after the American Civil War. She also succeeds in questioning the realism of Horatio Alger and Ayn Rand’s novels, noting how unlikely that in real-life, their fictional protagonists could have succeeded.
Instead of achievement via self-reliance, Quart notes how successful businessmen like President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk succeeded, often despite substantial flaws in their personal character and business acumen. In Trump’s case, he succeeded because his father Fred Trump, had built a successful real estate empire in New York City, and Trump relied on his father’s financial legacy to build his global real estate empire, which, at times, would have failed without loans and other forms of assistance. With Elon Musk, much of his success can be attributed to government grants that did not take into account his ability to be financially responsible and efficient. In both cases this is especially worth noting given the fanaticism of those who support Trump’s vow for MAGA (Make America Great Again) and Trump and Musk’s determination to eliminate waste and fraud in government spending via their DOGE initiative, which unfortunately, is destroying much of what made the United States the world’s leader in biomedical research via their gross mishandling of affairs within the Department of Health and Human Services.
As someone trained in evolutionary biology – primarily in invertebrate paleobiology and to a lesser extent, ecology, who has used this training in healthcare and epidemiological research – I greatly appreciate Quart’s terse effort in reminding us that “Survival of the Fittest” in the natural world doesn’t mean “nature-is-violent”, but instead, as Darwin demonstrated in his writings, often means cooperation, not competition, for the survival of those who are the “fittest” to survive within their respective environments. She notes especially that Russian aristocrat Prince Peter Kropotkin, stressed mutualistic, quite cooperative, behavior, between organisms of different species. (Kropotkin’s importance to this aspect of ecology is emphasized in a biography written about him by University of Tennessee ecologist and historian of science Lee Dugatkin, a high school classmate of physicists Brian Greene and Lisa Randall; all three of them, along with Quart and yours truly, are fellow alumni of a notable New York City public high school which emphasizes science and mathematics in its curriculum.)
Quart concludes “Bootstrapped” in stressing the need for mutualism, for community-based mutual aid and cooperation, that will stress interdependence amongst our fellow American citizens. While Quart doesn’t devote much space regarding how such measures could be undertaken, she is a journalist, not a social scientist, and I would expect that those in the social sciences could develop effective strategies that could help ensure better cooperation and interdependence amongst Americans. Where I differ with Quart is her suggestion that we should tax the rich more to ensure that there is sufficient funding to build meaningful social safety nets for all Americans. Instead, perhaps persuasion, not coercion via higher tax rates, through targeted tax breaks and other financial incentives might be the most suitable means of constructing robust social safety nets. Regardless, “Bootstrapped” should be seen as required reading by all Americans, despite their political and economic differences, so that we can truly ensure that America is “Great” for all Americans, not merely those who have the financial means to appreciate and to enjoy this greatness.
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