Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Putnam's commentary on modern American life is frightening at best.I read Putnam's article by the same title in college and it left a lasting imprint because it crystalized my feeling that Americans are no longer involving themselves in civic and community life. His new book expounds on this depressing thesis and explains, in tremendous detail how Americans no longer value civic engagement or regard relationships with neighbors as worthwhile. He cites declines in participation in public clubs such as the Shriners and Elks clubs as well as more informal social gatherings like poker playing and family dinners. Using statistics and time diaries he plots indicators of civic engagement from its peak in the early 1960's and its subsequent decline thereafter. The greatest casualty throughout this transformation is in social capital, a term which predates Putnam and describes the emotional and practical benefits of personal relationship.Putnam shows that civic clubs that have shown growth in membership since the 1960's have mostly been in massive national organizations whose membership is nothing more than people on mailing lists who pay an annual fee. Furthermore, religious organizations, whose members participate in their communities at greater rates than non church goers, are beginning to change their focus from civic participation to only tending to the needs of their church members.The affects of this disengagement have impacted our health, democracy and safety. Putnams points out an axiomatic principle that as people associate with one another in various capacities, whether it be at the kitchen table, the sidewalk, the card club or the PTA, people form relationships that provide a pool of friends who can be relied upon when time are hard, the dog needs to be walked, or the poor elderly woman next door needs her home painted. Each relationship is an asset, the accumulation of which can be called one's "social capital."Putnam does not place the blame for this on one source, but cites the entrance of women into the workforce, high levels of divorce, and urban sprawl among others as possible contributors. His most damning remarks are reserved for television. According to Putnam, no single technology has had such a damaging effect on America's civic and personal relationships. I enjoyed his attack on TV on a personal level because I decided 5 years ago to throw away my television and have never looked back.Certainly, Putnam's concerns are not new. He admits to this and provides the reader with an excellent look at the Progressive Era when American's decided to solve the vexing problems of an industialized urban society by forming civic clubs and actively involving themselves in their community.This is not a particularly fun book to read. In summary, it details how Americans have become spectators on life. The recent success of "reality based" television programs only illustrates how we have traded the potential richness of personal relationships for a false reality on our television screens. Life is about personal relationships, and it is sad to see how Americans have avoided these relationships.Putnam is not all gloom and doom. As with everything, hope abounds. After reading this book, one should only be encouraged to find ways to involve himself or herself in their communities and invite the neighbors over for a BBQ. This is an important social commentary, and I encourage all to read it.

This book is simply a must-read for anyone who cares about the quality of our society and communal life. Putnam tackles an extremely difficult question, and he does so very well. Answering whether or not our society has become less communal in the last 50 years is not an easy task. What are the causes of this change? What are the effects? These are some of the broader questions Putnam answers in this book.One thing that is immediately apparent is how much research went into this book. This book is loaded with statistics, yet the figures presented aren't boring. I felt that the consequences (both good and bad) of the statistics presented were readily evident in my own life. The two sections covering the causes of our social isolation and the effects are the strongest parts of the book.Putnam's response to the problem, on the other hand, is a little weak. I think Putnam is too willing to rely on government intervention to change people's attitudes and behavior (a proposition not likely to be successful, in my opinion). Furthermore, he his too willing to simply have faith that people will eventually make the right decisions once they understand the nature of this problem. Again, I don't think this is likely.By extension, Putnam fails to examine the potential for the Church and family to aid in correcting this problem. This is not too surprising; after all, we do live in an age in which social connections outside of the family and Church are seen as more important to the development of the autonomous self than those within those institutions. Nevertheless, this is a serious error on Putnam's part, in my opinion.Be that as it may, I think this book is hugely important. If the prescriptive section is a little weak that is more than made up for by the strength of the diagnosis and prognosis sections. Putnam's writing was very good; I don't think this book can fairly be characterized as being "dry". A page turner for those concerned about the quality of our social fabric.Update: For those who enjoyed "Bowling Alone", I would strongly recommend  Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays  by Wendell Berry. Whereas Putnam's book provides an empirical approach to the deterioration of community, Berry writes from a position of greater personal interest. Thus, Berry's book is a more passioned argument.

A great and robust book from one of the best social scientists alive.Sometimes the writing becomes a little repetitive, but the graphs and main findings are really clear and straightforward. I recommend this book to everyone interested about the decline of the western world, but especially of the USA. It shed light on the path to continuous disengagement and authoritarism that we're heading if something unexpected doesn't change.

I am using some of the content of this excellent book to provoke discussion regarding an apparent decrease in community interactions that has occurred in my research establishment work place. The problem is apparently multi-faceted and the contents of Bowling Alone will help to place the challenges faced by our management in a broader temporal framework in relation to workplace infrastructure changes that appear to be linked to declining community interactions and collaborations.

Very good

This book was the base for a bookclub discussion. I never finished it, but this doesn't mean the book is bad.

豊富なデータをもとにアメリカにおける人間関係を描き出す。短い章の連続から成り，ポンポンと読める。