The American Dream

Casey Gerald wrote There Will Be No Miracles Here to demonstrate how damaging belief in and pursuit of the “American Dream” can be. The author’s journey from the poor Dallas suburb where he spent his childhood to Yale and on to Harvard Business School represented, to the elite lawyers for whom he interned and to former president George W. Bush, the meritocratic character of American democracy — the idea that if an individual works hard enough, they can achieve anything. Casey reflects that these men “said nice things to [him] like, Casey, you are the embodiment of the American Dream! But it took [him] many years to realize that, instead of smiling and saying thank you, [he] should have wept” (257).

The realization that he “should have wept” comes after Gerald begins to plan his campaign in Dallas County’s 30th congressional district. He is forced to...