BOWLING ALONE REVIEWS AND PRESS CLIPS
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Alan Ehrenhalt writing a review for the Wall Street Journal observes that Bowling Alone is a "triumph" and presents a "powerful argument...presented in a lucid and readable way." " All of Mr. Putnam's critics are given an answer", writes Ehrenhalt. "Bowling Alone is a minutely documented catalog of social disengagement of virtually every kind: politcal apathy, retreat from church attendance, eroding union membership, the decline of bridge clubs and dinner parties, volunteering and blood donation."
- The Economist magazine called Bowling Alone "a prodigious achievement" and noted that Prof. Putnam's "scholarship is wide-ranging, his intelligence luminous, his tone modest, his prose unpretentious and frequently funny." [The Economist, July 8, 2000.]
- The L.A. Times called Bowling Alone "a remarkable achievement in the writing of social science." [Los Angeles Times, July 16, 2000]
- David Nyhan of the Boston Globe wrote that Bowling Alone "is a mountainous, momentous work"; "the amount of data amassed and explained is mind-boggling." Nyhan said that the book is "an antitank gun of an argument, relentlessly researched and heavily armored against academic counterassault."
- The Newark Star Ledger called Bowling Alone "brilliantly argued" building on the "instant classic" article (also called "Bowling Alone") which Robert Putnam penned in 1995. Bowling Alone "deserves to be compared to such classic works as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society."
- Julia Keller reviewing Bowling Alone for the Chicago Tribune called Bowling Alone "a learned and clearly focused snapshot of a crucial moment in American history."
- David Boldt of the Philadelphia Inquirer described Bowling Alone as "elegantly written"; the book offers hope since "Americans have reinvigorated their civic life before, [Putnam] says, and can do it again."
- Amazon.com in its official review noted that Bowling Alone "won't make Putnam any less controversial, but it may come to be known as a path-breaking work of scholarship, one whose influence has a long reach into the 21st century." Amazon noted that the book covers an astounding breadth of information and contains a fascinating array of factoids.
- Bowling Alone "deserves a wide audience". It deals "seriously and imaginatively with one of the most urgent problems of our time. Putnam is an optimist who finds inspiration in the reform spirit of the turn-of-the-cenutry progressive era...." Bowling Alone is a "fascinating analysis of decades of social science and market research...that measures virtually every aspect of American life, from how many picnics and softball games we participate in each year to the number of public meetings we attend and petitions we sign." [The Standard, June 19, 2000 in review by Sanford Horwitt.]
- Bowling Alone "strikes a chord" in "an impassioned polemic calling for a renewal of social relationships and group memberships in America." "Bowling Alone is well worth reading....Putnam gets you thinking about the challenges to community in a high-tech economy." [Business Week, June 26, 2000 review by Christopher Farrell.]
- Harvard Business Review writes that Bowling Alone is "powerful stuff", about which "you'll probably hear a great deal more...in days to come." [Harvard Business Review, July-August 2000.]
- Curtis Gans, reviewing Bowling Alone in the Washington Monthly, calls it "a formidable book, which through the overwhelming weight of evidence...amassed, demolishes" critics of Prof. Putnam.
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