Better Together: Restoring the American Community

In his acclaimed Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam describes the United States as a nation in which we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and in which our social structures have disintegrated. But in the final chapter of that book he detects hopeful signs of civic renewal. In Better Together Putnam and coauthor Lewis Feldstein tell the inspiring stories of people who are reweaving the social fabric by bringing their own communities together or building bridges to others.

Better Together examines how people across the country are inventing new forms of social activism and community renewal. An arts program in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, brings together shipyard workers and their gentrified neighbors; a deteriorating, crime-ridden neighborhood in Boston is transformed by a determined group of civic organizers; an online "virtual" community in San Francisco allows its members to connect with each other as well as the larger group; in Wisconsin schoolchildren learn how to participate in the political process to benefit their town. As our society grows increasingly diverse, say Putnam and Feldstein, it's more important than ever to grow "social capital," whether by traditional or more innovative means. The people profiled in Better Together are doing just that, and their stories illustrate the extraordinary power of social networks for enabling people to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.

Robert D. Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and founder of the Saguaro Seminar, a program dedicated to fostering civic engagement in America. He is the author or coauthor of ten previous books and is former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lewis M. Feldstein is president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Feldstein cochaired the Saguaro Seminar, worked with the civil rights movement in Mississippi, was a senior staff member for former New York City mayor John V. Lindsay, and was formerly provost of the Antioch/New England Graduate School. He lives in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Valley Interfaith: "The Most Dangerous Thing We Do Is Talk to Our Neighbors."

Chapter 2

Branch Libraries: The Heartbeat of the Community

Chapter 3

The Shipyard Project: Building Bridges with Dance

Chapter 4

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative: Grass roots in the City

Chapter 5

The Tupelo Model: Building Community First

Chapter 6

Saddleback Church: From Crowd to Congregation

Chapter 7

Do Something: Letting Young People Lead

Chapter 8

The Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers: "The Whole Social Thing"

Chapter 9

Experience Corps: Bringing "Old Heads" to the Schools

Chapter 10

UPS: Diversity and Cohesion

Chapter 11

Craigslist.org: Is Virtual Community Real?

Chapter 12

Portland: A Positive Epidemic of Civic Engagement

Conclusion: Making Social Capital Work

Notes

Index 307