Bowling Alone

Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work -- but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, Bowling Alone, which The Economist hailed as "a prodigious achievement." Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures -- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties -- have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe. Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam's Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do.

Review :
Alan Ehrenhalt "The Wall Street Journal" A powerful argument...presented in a lucid and readable way. Alan Ryan "The New York Review of Books" Rich, dense, thoughtful, fascinating...packed with provocative information about the social and political habits of twentieth-century Americans. Julia Keller "Chicago Tribune" A learned and clearly focused snapshot of a crucial moment in American history. Richard Flacks "Los Angeles Times" Putnam styles himself as a kind of sociological detective....The reader experiences the suspense that can happen in both detective fiction and science. Wendy Rahn "The Washington Post" This is a very important book; it's the de Tocqueville of our generation. And you don't often hear an academic like me say those sorts of things. Alan Ehrenhalt"The Wall Street Journal"A powerful argument...presented in a lucid and readable way. Alan Ryan"The New York Review of Books"Rich, dense, thoughtful, fascinating...packed with provocative information about the social and political habits of twentieth-century Americans. Julia Keller"Chicago Tribune"A learned and clearly focused snapshot of a crucial moment in American history. Richard Flacks"Los Angeles Times"Putnam styles himself as a kind of sociological detective....The reader experiences the suspense that can happen in both detective fiction and science. Wendy Rahn"The Washington Post"This is a very important book; it's the de Tocqueville of our generation. And you don't often hear an academic like me say those sorts of things. Alan Ehrenhalt"The Wall Street Journal" A powerful argument...presented in a lucid and readable way. Alan Ryan"The New York Review of Books" Rich, dense, thoughtful, fascinating...packed with provocative information about the social and political habits of twentieth-century Americans. Julia Keller"Chicago Tribune" A learned and clearly focused snapshot of a crucial moment in American history. Richard Flacks"Los Angeles Times" Putnam styles himself as a kind of sociological detective....The reader experiences the suspense that can happen in both detective fiction and science. Wendy Rahn"The Washington Post" This is a very important book; it's the de Tocqueville of our generation. And you don't often hear an academic like me say those sorts of things.