The Upswing

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

By: Robert D. Putnam

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

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 polarisation; 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 20th 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 analyses 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.

©2020 Robert D. Putnam (P)2020 W F Howes

I, We,I? Actually, us v them

Totally one sided infomercial for Socialism. I was interested in the premise of "we" yet Putnam isolates half of America by preaching Socialism and villainizing the right. He even snarkely mentions how Mitt Romney donated $3 MILLION to charity giving 1/2 to the Mormon Church and half to other charities making it sound like a bad thing. Go look at the fake caring for the poor leaders like Bernie, Kamala and all the others who wanted to become DEMO POTUS nominee. NONE gave > 5% of thier large incomes to charity...they epitomize "I". They are only generous with tax money and, worse, federal DEBT. America needs to be a "we". That means crossing isles and compromising. Instead we isolate and attack

Good historical analysis but weak recommendations.

important grounding on where we have been with solid research and data. But, the roadmap forward was simplistic and underdeveloped.