Lost In American Dream

A black hole comedy. The power of the gravity of this book will suck you in and spagettiphy your mind and your dreams. Will illuminate you and throw you back to reality like a true superhero. A young handsome guy who lived his childhood under the regime of dictatorship and his 'communist' father, has a dream to become a Hollywood Star. A war happens and the 'communism' falls, and with it the control of the father ends, and now is the right time for the handsome guy to pursue his dream. Illegally he crosses many European borders and sails all the way to Mexico and illegally again for the last time crosses the last forbidden border, that America-Mexican border. He starts slowly to dissolve into the American style and live his dream, but his ugly past life and his ideology and his dream in his head starts fighting and colliding and slowly starts loosing into the reality called American Dream.

A cross-section of Americans--from an embittered Miss America to Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Jesse Helms to a KKK member, from businessmen and Brahmins to activists and immigrants--speak of their hopes, expectations, and disappointments

Lost in the American Dream examines the spiritual perils of today's material minded culture. Author Dennis McDaniel writes that we are born with an 'inner hole' in need of filling-a spiritual hole that living the American Dream cannot fill, a hole only God can fill. Those who turn away from God to pursue American Dream prosperity invite spiritual consequences, as life gets 'lost in the American Dream.' The author employs scripture, personal anecdotes and humor to present a compelling analysis of why the American Dream can empty rather than enrich life, resulting in houses filled with things, resumes filled with accomplishment, but lives devoid of spiritual understanding, direction and peace."

The United States has been epitomized as a land of opportunity, where hard work and skill can bring personal success and economic well-being. The American Dream has captured the imagination of people from all walks of life, and to many, it represents the heart and soul of the country. But there is another, darker side to the bargain that America strikes with its people -- it is the price we pay for our individual pursuit of the American Dream. That price can be found in the economic hardship present in the lives of millions of Americans. In Chasing the American Dream, leading social scientists Mark Robert Rank, Thomas A. Hirschl, and Kirk A. Foster provide a new and innovative look into a curious dynamic -- the tension between the promise of economic opportunities and rewards and the amount of turmoil that Americans encounter in their quest for those rewards. The authors explore questions such as: -What percentage of Americans achieve affluence, and how much income mobility do we actually have? -Are most Americans able to own a home, and at what age? -How is it that nearly 80 percent of us will experience significant economic insecurity at some point between ages 25 and 60? -How can access to the American Dream be increased? Combining personal interviews with dozens of Americans and a longitudinal study covering 40 years of income data, the authors tell the story of the American Dream and reveal a number of surprises. The risk of economic vulnerability has increased substantially over the past four decades, and the American Dream is becoming harder to reach and harder to keep. Yet for most Americans, the Dream lies not in wealth, but in economic security, pursuing one's passions, and looking toward the future. Chasing the American Dream provides us with a new understanding into the dynamics that shape our fortunes and a deeper insight into the importance of the American Dream for the future of the country.

This intriguing and artful book will re-awaken the original dream within the hearts of young and old alike. Filled cover to cover with exquisite artwork depicting the original scenes, along with in-depth historical facts woven throughout, this book will enlighten and educate all to the wonderful and rich history of this "One Nation Under God."

Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smith’s new book is an extraordinary achievement, an eye-opening account of how, over the past four decades, the American Dream has been dismantled and we became two Americas. In his bestselling The Russians, Smith took millions of readers inside the Soviet Union. In The Power Game, he took us inside Washington’s corridors of power. Now Smith takes us across America to show how seismic changes, sparked by a sequence of landmark political and economic decisions, have transformed America. As only a veteran reporter can, Smith fits the puzzle together, starting with Lewis Powell’s provocative memo that triggered a political rebellion that dramatically altered the landscape of power from then until today. This is a book full of surprises and revelations—the accidental beginnings of the 401(k) plan, with disastrous economic consequences for many; the major policy changes that began under Jimmy Carter; how the New Economy disrupted America’s engine of shared prosperity, the “virtuous circle” of growth, and how America lost the title of “Land of Opportunity.” Smith documents the transfer of $6 trillion in middle-class wealth from homeowners to banks even before the housing boom went bust, and how the U.S. policy tilt favoring the rich is stunting America’s economic growth. This book is essential reading for all of us who want to understand America today, or why average Americans are struggling to keep afloat. Smith reveals how pivotal laws and policies were altered while the public wasn’t looking, how Congress often ignores public opinion, why moderate politicians got shoved to the sidelines, and how Wall Street often wins politically by hiring over 1,400 former government officials as lobbyists. Smith talks to a wide range of people, telling the stories of Americans high and low. From political leaders such as Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to CEOs such as Al Dunlap, Bob Galvin, and Andy Grove, to heartland Middle Americans such as airline mechanic Pat O’Neill, software systems manager Kristine Serrano, small businessman John Terboss, and subcontractor Eliseo Guardado, Smith puts a human face on how middle-class America and the American Dream have been undermined. This magnificent work of history and reportage is filled with the penetrating insights, provocative discoveries, and the great empathy of a master journalist. Finally, Smith offers ideas for restoring America’s great promise and reclaiming the American Dream. Praise for Who Stole the American Dream? “[A] sweeping, authoritative examination of the last four decades of the American economic experience.”—The Huffington Post “Some fine work has been done in explaining the mess we’re in. . . . But no book goes to the headwaters with the precision, detail and accessibility of Smith.”—The Seattle Times “Sweeping in scope . . . [Smith] posits some steps that could alleviate the problems of the United States.”—USA Today “Brilliant . . . [a] remarkably comprehensive and coherent analysis of and prescriptions for America’s contemporary economic malaise.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Smith enlivens his narrative with portraits of the people caught up in events, humanizing complex subjects often rendered sterile in economic analysis. . . . The human face of the story is inseparable from the history.”—Reuters

Many Latinos have a deep desire to achieve the American Dream, to attain success and discover their life purpose. Yet, in the pursuit of these elusive goals, many end up merely Keeping up with the Joneses or realize too late that the ladder of success they are climbing is leaning against the wrong wall. Now, in How to Achieve the American Dream Without Losing Your Latin Soul, author and Americas #1 Latino Success Coach Don Daniel Ortiz shows readers of all backgrounds that not only is reaching your American Dream possible, he also reveals a secret path, hidden in the stories of ancient mythology, that will lead you directly to the achievement of your deepest desire, your highest hopes and personal fulfillment. In, How to Achieve the American Dream Without Losing Your Latin Soul, readers will discover how to: * Stop chasing success and start living your life purpose * Bridge the gap between your Two Worlds * Harness the power of Latino values Faith, Family & Frijoles * Define your Latino version of the American Dream * Unlock the secrets of your personal story * Follow a proven 7-Step path for achieving your American Dream * Overcome fear to find peace, happiness and fulfillment * And much more Written with a unique Latino perspective, How to Achieve the American Dream Without Losing Your Latin Soul is an inspiring, insightful and entertaining book that unlocks the powerful, profound secrets hidden in your personal story and about overcoming fear to achieve your American Dream.

The transformations of the Strip—from the fake Wild West to neon signs twenty stories high to “starchitecture”—and how they mirror America itself. The Las Vegas Strip has impersonated the Wild West, with saloon doors and wagon wheels; it has decked itself out in midcentury modern sleekness. It has illuminated itself with twenty-story-high neon signs, then junked them. After that came Disney-like theme parks featuring castles and pirates, followed by replicas of Venetian canals, New York skyscrapers, and the Eiffel Tower. (It might be noted that forty-two million people visited Las Vegas in 2015—ten million more than visited the real Paris.) More recently, the Strip decided to get classy, with casinos designed by famous architects and zillion-dollar collections of art. Las Vegas became the “implosion capital of the world” as developers, driven by competition, got rid of the old to make way for the new—offering a non-metaphorical definition of “creative destruction.” In The Strip, Stefan Al examines the many transformations of the Las Vegas Strip, arguing that they mirror transformations in America itself. The Strip is not, as popularly supposed, a display of architectural freaks but representative of architectural trends and a record of social, cultural, and economic change. Al tells two parallel stories. He describes the feverish competition of Las Vegas developers to build the snazziest, most tourist-grabbing casinos and resorts—with a cast of characters including the mobster Bugsy Siegel, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, and the would-be political kingmaker Sheldon Adelson. And he views the Strip in a larger social context, showing that it has not only reflected trends but also magnified them and sometimes even initiated them. Generously illustrated with stunning color images throughout, The Strip traces the many metamorphoses of a city that offers a vivid projection of the American dream.