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; which The Economist hailed as “a prodigious achievement.â€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.
#1305042 in Books Rowman Littlefield Publishers 2007-09-27 2007-09-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .58 x 6.14l; .50 #File Name: 0742552039174 pages
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent ReadingBy Tom O'ConnorVery timely and much needed when so often religious and political voices speaking to this topic today seem to miss the mark. We need more research and literature like this. Skotnicki's work surprises; it evokes a sense of hope for the humane possibilities of prisons while also confronting some of the brutal facts about their shortcomings. The book makes a great contribution by exploring the conditions of possibility for such a development of humanity in a prison context and by firmly grounding these conditions in the history of Catholic philosophy; theology; social teaching and communal responsibility. As a religious person working in the field of corrections and criminal justice I found myself challenged; informed and uplifted by this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent prison chaplain library resourceBy Ricochet55Excellent prison chaplain's library resource!0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. excellentBy Scott BalasakWriting in a style that is both academically stimulating and esthetically pleasing Andrew Skotnicki has done an excellent job of weaving the reader through the exploration of the historical; theological; and philosophical links between crime; punishment and the Catholic church . I have nothing but high praise for what Skotnicki has accomplished with this treatise.
