ABSTRACT
Whether or not one is persuaded by Robert Putnam’s major thesis on the decline of social and civic participation in America, Bowling Alone is based on an enormous assemblage of relevant and interesting data. There are sixty pages of notes in small print—too small not to place a strain on aging eyes—and three methodological appendices covering thirty pages on how Putnam utilized his major sources. Nearly a hundred researchers and Harvard colleagues are acknowledged in a closing section entitled “The Story Behind This Book.” Needless to say, the project cost several million dollars. Putnam’s massive evidence and his refutation of many of the early criticisms are comprehensive and often persuasive. Putnam’s theme is actually even more ancient, going back to the origins of sociology in the middle of the nineteenth century. Putnam’s book nevertheless is valuable as an extraordinary compendium of information about the country at the beginning of the new century.
