{"product_id":"selfmade-the-stories-that-forged-an-american-myth","title":"SelfMade: The Stories That Forged An American Myth","description":"\u003cp\u003eSelfMade Success Is Now An American Badge Of Honor That Rewards Individualist Ambitions While It Hammers Against Community Obligations. Yet, Four Centuries Ago, Our Foundational Stories Actually Disparaged Ambitious Upstarts As Dangerous And Selfish Threats To A Healthy Society. In Pamela Walker LairdS Fascinating History Of Why And How Storytellers Forged This American Myth, She Reveals How The Goals For SelfImprovement Evolved From Serving The Community To Supporting Individualist Dreams Of Wealth And Esteem. Simplistic Stories Of SelfMade Success And Failure Emerged That Disregarded PeopleS Advantages And Disadvantages And Fostered Inequality. Fortunately, SelfMade Also Recovers LongStanding, Alternative Traditions Of SelfImprovement To Serve The Common Good. These Challenges To The Myth Have Offered Inspiration, Often Coming, Surprisingly, From Americans Associated With SelfMade Success, Such As Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, And Horatio Alger. Here Are Real Stories That Show That No One Lives  No One Succeeds Or Fails  In A Vacuum.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47953413996789,"sku":"DADAX1108833896","price":43.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/5804\/8501\/files\/41Lqp_l_zaL.jpg?v=1775494062","url":"https:\/\/ergodebooks.com\/products\/selfmade-the-stories-that-forged-an-american-myth","provider":"Ergodebooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}