The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again
Written by Robert D. Putnam
Narrated by Arthur Morey
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Deep and accelerating inequality; unprecedented political polarization; 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 twentieth 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 analyzes 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.
Robert D. Putnam
Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and a former Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Nationally honored as a leading humanist and a renowned scientist, he has written fourteen books, including the bestselling Our Kids and Bowling Alone, and has consulted for the last four US Presidents. In 2012, President Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities. His research program, the Saguaro Seminar, is dedicated to fostering civic engagement in America. Visit RobertDPutnam.com.
Related to The Upswing
Related audiobooks
The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Rich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going Big: FDR's Legacy, Biden's New Deal, and the Struggle to Save Democracy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism-American Style Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Captured Economy: How the Powerful Enrich Themselves, Slow Down Growth, and Increase Inequality Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rendezvous with Oblivion: Reports from a Sinking Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnti-Pluralism: The Populist Threat to Liberal Democracy (Politics and Culture) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The American Dream Is Not Dead: But Populism Could Kill It Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5White Identity Politics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave Me Alone and I'll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The White Working Class: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5They're Not Listening: How The Elites Created the Nationalist Populist Revolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Economics For You
How the World Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths that are Destroying Your Prosperity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed or Fail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Freakonomics Rev Ed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World's Most Critical Technology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5These are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why the Rich Are Getting Richer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marvel Comics: The Untold Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nudge: The Final Edition: Improving Decisions About Money, Health, And The Environment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Economics 101: How the World Works Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Upswing
3 ratings0 reviews