Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community | 
pickOne of the great political/social science texts of our generation. It's thesis remarkable for it's simplicity, but the evidence stacked up suggests that Putnam is onto something important, and fixable. Little repetitive is spots however and he offers less in the way of fixes than he could.
“As the 20th century ends, Americans have learned that no story is all heroes. Indeed, we some times feel that heroes don‘t really exist.”
“As a rough rule of thumb, our evidence shows [that] nearly half of all associational memberships are church-related, half of all personal philanthropy is religious in character, and half of all volunteering occurs in a religious context.”
The Bebe had a really bad day at school this week, so we decided to save the day by taking him bowling for the first time. It was a hit, to put it mildly.
pickI'm a natural introvert, highly sensitive and shy person but I also crave community; it can be a difficult balance. The hubs and I read this partly because he is becoming more involved in local government and we are seeing sides of our small town previously unknown to us. We want to be more engaged and more engaging! This was a fascinating look at social capital and the thinning connectivity of our age, but it is the start of a conversation.
We all know that the way to get something done is to give it to a busy person.
pickAs a member of several community organizations, the question seems to be universally asked: "Why are membership numbers going down? Back in the day..." This *extremely* eye-opening book chronicles the rise & fall of organizations--libraries, book clubs, sports leagues, women's tea groups, fraternal bodies, youth groups, churches, summer camps, etc.--& the sociologist provides answers. An incredible read! #PairWith: Pabst Blue Ribbon, can, cold.
Her: "Can I borrow this chair, or do you need it?"
Me: "No, I don't need it. But taking it destroys the illusion that I'm waiting to meet someone."
Her: *laughs nervously, and slowly backs away with the chair*
For today's #augustofpages challenge, I pulled from my nonfiction shelves to find books related to sports. Neither one of these is exactly *about* sports—but both do have athletes on their covers! So. 🏆📚 #augustphotochallenge
Airplane supplies: 1 part interesting social history, 1 part heavier statistics than I'd hope for & 1 part heart wrenching commentary on the American social landscape, just when I get bored this book finds a way to get profound again.
