Audiobooks by Robert D. Putnam

The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again

An eminent political scientist's brilliant analysis of economic, social, and political trends over the past century demonstrating how we have gone from an individualistic 'I' society to a more communitarian 'We' society and then back again, and how we can learn from that experience to become a stronger, more unified nation--from the author of Bowling Alone and Our Kids. Deep and accelerating inequality; unprecedented political polarization; vitriolic public discourse; a fraying social fabric; public and private narcissism--Americans today seem to agree on only one thing: This is the worst of times. But we've been here before. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarized, and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However as the twentieth century opened, America became--slowly, unevenly, but steadily--more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society on the upswing, more focused on our responsibilities to one another and less focused on our narrower self-interest. Sometime during the 1960s, however, these trends reversed, leaving us in today's disarray. In a sweeping overview of more than a century of history, drawing on his inimitable combination of statistical analysis and storytelling, Robert Putnam analyzes a remarkable confluence of trends that brought us from an 'I' society to a 'We' society and then back again. He draws inspiring lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, putting us on a path to becoming a society once again based on community. Engaging, revelatory, and timely, this is Putnam's most ambitious work yet, a fitting capstone to a brilliant career.

Robert D. Putnam (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator)

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Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

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. **Please Contact Customer Service for Additional Documents**

Robert D. Putnam (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator)

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Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis

Central to the very idea of America is the principle that we are a nation of opportunity, constrained only by ability and effort. But over the last quarter century we have seen a disturbing "opportunity gap" emerge. Americans have always accepted inequality of outcome, that is, we accept that some people do better than others and earn greater wealth. But we have always believed in equality of opportunity: those who have talent and try hard will succeed. This central tenet of the American Dream seems no longer true or at the least, much less true than it was. Putnam begins the book with the story of his high school class of 1959 in Port Clinton, Ohio. By and large it is a story of success as the vast majority of students -- "our kids" -- went on to lives better than those of their parents. They in turn raised their children with the same expectations. But these children and grandchildren have had harder lives amid plummeting prospects. Many have found their ambitions unfulfilled. After this initial chapter, Our Kids tells the tale of diminishing opportunity through the stories of a variety of people from cities and suburbs across the country, drawing on a formidable body of research done especially for this book. Our Kids is a rare combination of personal testimony and authoritative evidence, and for that reason, all the more troubling. In all the analyses of income inequality that have appeared over the past few years, no one has examined the subject with as much information and understanding as Robert Putnam. ***Please contact Member Services for additional documents***

Robert D. Putnam (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator)

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American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us

In a fascinating and revelatory book, Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell objectively examine the impact of religion on American life and how religious attitudes have changed in recent decades. American Grace takes its findings from two of the largest, most comprehensive surveys ever conducted on religion and public life in America, plus in-depth studies of diverse congregations—among them a megachurch, a Mormon congregation, a Catholic parish, a reform Jewish synagogue, and an African American congregation. From abortion to gay marriage to feminism, this book shows how religion has influenced politics in America—and vice versa. The discoveries are often unexpected: The most politicized churches tend to be liberal, not conservative, congregations. Faith matters less to Americans than their communities of faith. Most Americans marry outside their religion. And nearly half of all Americans change their religion at some point during their lifetime. Robert D. Putnam won huge acclaim for Bowling Alone and Better Together. Together with coauthor David E. Campbell, Putnam brings his distinctive brand of in-depth research and analysis to religion in America. ***Please contact Member Services for additional documents***

David E. Campbell, Robert D. Putnam (Author), Dan John Miller (Narrator)

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