THE âBOWLING ALONEâ PHENOMENON
“Everything that reflects connections with other people are going down⊠in barely a couple of decades, half of all the civic infrastructure in America had simply vanished. It’s equivalent to saying: Half of all the roads in America just disappeared!”
-Robert Putnam in Join or Die
'JOIN OR DIE' BOOK CLUB
For further reading on the themes touched on in Join or Die, check out the following books.
Bowling Alone
Examines the decline of community and civic engagement in America, showing how once-strong social networksâlike bowling leagues, PTAs, churches, and political groupsâhave steadily unraveled. Drawing on extensive data, Putnam reveals the toll this disconnection takes on our health, happiness, and democracy, while also pointing toward ways to rebuild the social bonds that sustain a thriving society.
The Upswing
Robert Putnam traces Americaâs cycle from a self-centered âIâ society of the Gilded Age to a more cooperative, egalitarian âWeâ society in the mid-20th centuryâand back again to todayâs fractured individualism. Blending history, data, and storytelling, he shows how reformers once reversed similar inequality and polarization, offering hopeful lessons for how we might rebuild community and unity in our own time.
Prisms of the People
Grassroots movements have surged in recent years, but many struggle to achieve lasting impact. Drawing on case studies from diverse organizations, Hahrie Han shows how successful movements channel participation into real political power through strategic design, strong leadership, and collective action. Prisms of the People offers both insight and guidance on how ordinary people can build organizations that win meaningful change.
No Shortcuts
Social movements face a crisis, weakened by over-reliance on professional advocacy, declining union participation, and mobilizations that lack real staying power. Drawing on lessons from past and present struggles, Jane McAlevey argues that lasting victories come not from quick mobilization alone, but from deep, bottom-up organizing that empowers workers and communities. No Shortcuts offers a roadmap for rebuilding strong, democratic movements capable of winning meaningful change.
The Art of Gathering
Many of our gatheringsâwhether meetings, parties, or community eventsâfeel flat because we default to routine instead of focusing on purpose and people. Through stories and examples from diverse settings, Priya Parker shows how small, intentional choices can transform any gathering into something meaningful and memorable. The Art of Gathering offers practical insights for creating experiences that truly connect and energize participants.
Diminished Democracy
Pundits and social observers have voiced alarm each year as fewer Americans involve themselves in voluntary groups that meet regularly. Thousands of nonprofit groups have been launched in recent times, but most are run by professionals who lobby Congress or deliver social services to clients. What will happen to U.S. democracy if participatory groups and social movements wither, while civic involvement becomes one more occupation rather than every citizen's right and duty? In Diminished Democracy, Theda Skocpol shows that this decline in public involvement has not always been the case in this country-and how, by understanding the causes of this change, we might reverse it.
Together
Humans are social creatures: in this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. The 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety.
American Grace
Americaâs religious landscape is both deeply rooted and rapidly changing, marked by increasing diversity, rising secularism, and sharper divides between conservatives and liberals. Yet alongside these tensions, personal interfaith tiesâthrough friendship, community, and marriageâhave fostered greater tolerance and understanding across faith lines. Drawing on extensive survey data, American Grace offers a nuanced picture of how religion continues to shape American society and culture.
Secular Surge
Today, secularism is gaining traction as a distinct and politically energized identity. This book examines the political causes and consequences of this trend, drawing on a wealth of original data.
Palaces for the People
Amid rising polarization, the path to rebuilding common ground may lie not just in shared values but in shared spaces. Through examples from libraries, parks, churches, and community centers, Eric Klinenberg shows how âsocial infrastructureâ fosters connection, resilience, and trust, offering a hopeful blueprint for strengthening democracy and bridging divides.
We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For
A politically astute, lyrical meditation on how ordinary people can shake off their reliance on a small group of professional politicians and assume responsibility for what it takes to achieve a more just and perfect democracy.
Democracy as Problem Solving
Case studies from around the world and theoretical discussion show how the capacity to act collectively on local problems can be developed, strengthening democracy while changing social and economic outcomes.
People, Power, Change
At a time when collective action feels weakened, Marhsall Ganz distills decades of experience into a practical framework for organizing that creates real change. Centered on relationships, values, strategy, structure, and accountability, People, Power, Change combines theory with vivid stories from major social movements to show how people can build power together.
Making Democracy Work
Examining Italyâs regional governments over two decades, this groundbreaking study reveals why some democratic governments thrive while others falter. The key lies in âcivic communityâânetworks of trust, cooperation, and civic engagementâthat foster effective governance and prosperity. It offers powerful evidence that democracyâs success depends not just on institutions, but on the strength of the communities that sustain them.
The Anatomy of Racial Inequality
In his classic account of the relationship between social networks and racial inequality, Glenn Loury describes how a vicious cycle of tainted social information helped create the racial stereotypes that rationalize and sustain discrimination.
Villa Victoria
Challenging conventional wisdom about urban poverty, this sociological study of a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Boston offers a nuanced understanding of how social networks function in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Unanticipated Gains
Mario Small shows how peopleâs networks often grow not through intentional ânetworkingâ but through the everyday institutions they participate in, like childcare centers, schools, or gyms. Drawing on interviews with New York City mothers, it reveals how small organizational practicesâsuch as drop-off rules or parent groupsâcan dramatically shape the size and usefulness of personal networks.
Creating a Democratic Public
At the dawn of the 20th century, grassroots activists and intellectuals built institutions that fostered civic education and vibrant democratic debate, from public forums to community centers. Through stories of figures like Charles Zueblin, Frederic Howe, and Mary Parker Follett, this history uncovers how ordinary citizens once shaped public life and what lessons their experiments hold for today. It invites us to reimagine democracy by revisiting the forgotten practices that once made it thrive.
What Should We Do?
At the heart of civic life is the question âWhat should we do?â, a challenge that requires people to act together, deliberate productively, and confront exclusion. Drawing on traditions from Ostrom, Habermas, Gandhi, and King, Peter Levine develops a theory of citizen action that equips groups to navigate these challenges without fracturing. Blending philosophy with real-world examples, it offers a framework and practical guidance for more effective and responsible civic engagement.
A Collective Bargain
Through vivid accounts of nurses, teachers, and tech workers organizing on the frontlines, Jane McAlevey shows how collective action is returning to tackle issues from workplace harassment to climate justice.
The Sum of Us
Heather McGhee traces how racism, based in zero-sum thinking, has eroded public goods and opportunities not just for people of colorâbut for every American. She reveals both the costs of division and the transformative potential of solidarity across raceâa 'Solidarity Dividend' we all benefit from when we come together across race to accomplish what we canât do on our own.
How Organizations Develop Activists
Why are some civic associations better than others at gettingâand keepingâpeople involved in activism? Hahrie Han works to answer this question by providing an in-depth look at the models and strategies civic associations use for engaging activists in the Internet age.
Our Kids
Once central to the American Dream, the promise of upward mobility has eroded, leaving todayâs children with fewer opportunities than their parents. Blending personal stories with rigorous research, this work traces how inequality and class divides have widened, creating a stark âopportunity gapâ (and social capital gap) that shapes young peopleâs lives from birth onward.
Raising Expectations (And Raising Hell)
Told through her experiences as a veteran organizer, Jane McAlevey highlights dramatic union victories achieved with bold, unconventional strategies. Both memoir and manifesto, it argues that unions can be revived only through deep organizing and community-based campaigns reminiscent of the social movements of the 1930s.