صناعة الشخصية

#### Stories that shaped an American myth Today, “self-success” has become an American badge of honor that rewards individual ambitions while marginalizing societal duties. However, four centuries ago, our foundational narratives belittled upwardly ambitious people as a dangerous and selfish threat to a healthy society. In Pamela Walker Laird's fascinating history of why and how storytellers crafted this American myth, she reveals how self-improvement goals evolved from community service to supporting one's dreams of wealth and status. Simplistic stories of self-made success and failure emerged, ignoring the merits and demerits of individuals and entrenching inequality. Fortunately, Making Yourself revives a long-standing alternative tradition of self-improvement for the greater good. These challenges to myth were a source of inspiration that often came, surprisingly, from Americans whose names were associated with self-made success, such as Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Horatio Alger. Here are real-life stories that show that no one lives - no one succeeds or fails - in isolation. - Traces the evolution of the myth of “self-made” from a sin to a source of individual esteem - Shows that this myth is neither natural nor unquestionable in American history and culture - Identifies the origins of the term “self-made” before the Industrial Revolution, as a compliment to citizens who sought to serve the common good. - Highlights a long-standing, often marginalized, tradition of self-improvement for the betterment of society.