During the pandemic, when we were all at our most vulnerable and in need of a strong social institution, Quart was researching and writing Bootstrapped, to examine how our national myths of individualism contribute to economic inequality and political stalemate. She looked closely at famous literary works — Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self Reliance" and the pioneer stories of the Little House on the Prairie book series — to expose not only the authors' personal hypocrisy but, more importantly, how these works have skewed our understanding of American history.
If tales of individual "bootstrapping" — the term itself has a complex history — partially shape how we view ourselves in relation to others, Quart offers an alternative way of exploring the complex web of mutual obligations that are also part of our national experience. How do we "unmake the self-made myth," Quart asks. Bootstrapped offers a number of ways in which people acting together have created movements and organizations that meet the collective needs that most people have.
