Q. Why did you decide to write this book?
Bob: Americans have come to think of the American Dream as a stable job with good benefits, a nice house, a college education for our kids, and an ever-rising standard of living, but we?ve also become increasingly pessimistic about the future of the American Dream and the likelihood that our children will be able to achieve it. There?s this deep ideological divide in our country, and when you dig down that divide is rooted in two conflicting visions of the American Dream. The tension between those two visions has waxed and waned throughout our nation?s history, but right now it?s produced a stalemate that is preventing us from moving forward and putting our country back on the right track.
Q. Do you have any secret writing tips you?d like to share?
Amber: I think that for first time authors especially, you have to realize that writing is a creative process, even when you?re writing non-fiction. In the early stages it?s important to just let your thoughts flow without being too self-critical. Bob and I write collaboratively, and what matters when we?re passing those early drafts back and forth is that we?re on the same page when it comes to the overall theme and the major points we want to make. Then with each subsequent draft we refine the writing and the arguments, but you don?t want to waste time focusing on the little details too early.
Q. Tell us a quirky or funny story about you!
Bob: I don?t know if it is funny, but I did an interview several years ago on a small market radio station. The interviewer asked me all kinds of questions about my favorite recipes and cooking. I answered them as best I could because I thought the questions were a lead in to a discussion on the economy. After thirty minutes of terrible answers, I thought the interviewer was nuts and he thought I was the worst chef in America. Turns out, I was a last minute replacement guest for a chef who could not make the interview and no one ever told the poor guy asking the questions or me what had happened.
Q. Have you ever battled writer?s block? How do you deal with it?
Amber: That?s where it really helps to have two writers, actually. If you get stuck, you can always punt the ball to the other person! For myself, I find that when I develop writer?s block, it?s because there?s a puzzle piece that isn?t fitting quite right in the narrative or argument I?m trying to make. There?s a point that?s eluding me, or my logic is just fuzzy, and when I get like that I end up writing in circles, which is not productive. Over the years I?ve learned that when I get stuck, I have to put the laptop down, stop writing, and do more research to clarify my thinking.
Q. What?s your favorite quote?
Bob: There is a maxim at West Point that goes something like this: ?Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.? It?s amazing that maxim is championed at an authoritative institution like West Point, a place that most people wouldn?t associate with taking risks and dreaming more than is practical. But it?s a good description of the sort of attitude and approach to life that we need more of in America.
Q. Who inspires you the most?
Bob: First-generation immigrants inspire me. These people come to America with little more than a willingness to work hard and a positive attitude. They support their families, make sacrifices, do whatever is needed to succeed and participate in their community. They ask for little more than an opportunity to succeed and the freedom to pursue their dreams. When I look at them I realize the American Dream is still there for people who are willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to a task.
About the authors:
Bob Skandalaris is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who has launched numerous companies including Quantum Ventures of Michigan, which specializes in the acquisition and development of middle-market firms. Bob also helped to establish the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and is the author of several books including The Evolution of the American Dream.
Amber Clark is the Managing Editor of Entrepreneurial America and an expert on women in entrepreneurship. A former reporter for Heritage Newspapers and guest blogger for Business Week Online, she has an MBA from Michigan State University and is a published author whose books include The Evolution of the American Dream and The Entrepreneur?s Game. Learn more at www.entrepreneurial-america.com.
About the book: The American Dream has been a driving force in the development and success of our nation and a key motivating factor in all that we have achieved, individually and collectively. But what is the American Dream, exactly, and how has it changed over the course of America?s history? The stable job with good benefits, a nice house, a college education for our kids, and an ever-rising standard of living are all elements of that dream which Americans have come to expect. But we?ve also become increasingly pessimistic about the future of the American Dream and the likelihood that our children will be able to achieve it. A deep ideological divide, one rooted in two conflicting versions of the American Dream, has produced a stalemate that is preventing us from putting our country back on the right track. In order to move forward, we first have to look at the events and ideas that have influenced the American Dream and how it has shaped our expectations, and then reinvent the dream for the twenty-first century. Because if we don?t, we?re in danger of losing our single greatest competitive advantage in the global economy?the American Dream itself.
Source: http://iheartbookreviews.com/author-profile/author-profile-bob-skandalaris-amber-clark/
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