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Bowling Alone addresses a very major issue, the decline of civic involvement. Too much time is spent describing the phenomena and not enough in analyzing its cures and possible remediation. The books unarguable premise is that the civil involvement that Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville describes as being largely responsible for America's greatness is seriously endangered. He analyzes a variety of possible causes, such as urbanization and suburban sprawl, the growth of telecommunications and the Internet, and generational change. He assigns the greatest weight to the latter, and inadequately explains the "why" of its impact. Most satisfactory is his explanation of the role of telecommunications and the Internet.
This book was recommended by my Rabbi, when we discussed, both individually and in group settings the leveling off and decline in both involvement in the synagogue and membership. Robert Putnam strives mightily to achieve his goal. It, like the "strike" in the bowling game that he titles the book after, remains elusive.
Red Adam’s Lady set near the end of Henry Plantagenet’s rule in medieval England
An historical romance written by Doris Sutcliffe Adams using a pseudonym. ''A boisterous, bawdy tale of wild adventure, set against the constant dangers of medieval England. A story of civil war and border raids, scheming aristocrats and brawling villagers, daring escapes across the moors and thundering descent down steep cliffs to the ocean. The love story in it is an unusual one -- for a long time after they are married, Julitta doesn't let Adam get closer than the length of her stiletto; and when their safety is menaced, it is Julitta who rescues Adam from certain death
One of my top 5 historicals…you get insight into how a castle operated, the rise of the merchant class, a good mystery and believable relationships
I have a first edition hardback and read it multiple times over the decades but was very happy to find it as an e-book
Bowling Alone addresses a very major issue, the decline of civic involvement. Too much time is spent describing the phenomena and not enough in analyzing its cures and possible remediation. The books unarguable premise is that the civil involvement that Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville describes as being largely responsible for America's greatness is seriously endangered. He analyzes a variety of possible causes, such as urbanization and suburban sprawl, the growth of telecommunications and the Internet, and generational change. He assigns the greatest weight to the latter, and inadequately explains the "why" of its impact. Most satisfactory is his explanation of the role of telecommunications and the Internet.
This book was recommended by my Rabbi, when we discussed, both individually and in group settings the leveling off and decline in both involvement in the synagogue and membership. Robert Putnam strives mightily to achieve his goal. It, like the "strike" in the bowling game that he titles the book after, remains elusive.
I almost mentioned this book in a different post here on CD today.
EXTREMELY fact-dense. I would have liked to read this as a feature story in a magazine or major newspaper.
Great insights, but God, it's hard to get through.
Basic premise: people used to gather in person, for weekly bowling leagues and everything else, and now they don't gather regularly, and it's greatly hurting us.
I almost mentioned this book in a different post here on CD today.
EXTREMELY fact-dense. I would have liked to read this as a feature story in a magazine or major newspaper.
Great insights, but God, it's hard to get through.
Basic premise: people used to gather in person, for weekly bowling leagues and everything else, and now they don't gather regularly, and it's greatly hurting us.
Thanks.
I sent this review to my Rabbi, who said he concurs. I gave it "three stars" on Goodreads. I would be fascinated to see his analysis of post-Covid America, where things, if any, are far worse.
I finished the Personal Librarian, and yes it was really good and so interesting ( historical fiction). For those who might not know, it 's about the Morgan Library in NYC, and the woman who was the personal librarian to Pierpont Morgan. She was a light skin black woman whose family was "passing" for white.
I rated it 4 stars. A good read.
I just started Remarkably Bright Creatures, and already about 1/3 of the way into it. So far, delightful.
I remember when Remarkably Bright Creatures came out, a lot of people dissed it for magical thinking. Since then, I've seen a lot of media (documentaries, videos, news stories) about the intelligence of octopi. I will eventually get to reading it. Thanks for reminding me about this book.
I usually go for a different kind of historical fiction, but currently I'm reading Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs. Details the drug trade on the South Carolina coast.
"In the late 1970s and early '80s, a cadre of freewheeling, Southern pot smugglers lived at the crossroads of Miami Vice and a Jimmy Buffett song. These irrepressible adventurers unloaded nearly a billion dollars worth of marijuana and hashish through the eastern seaboard's marshes. Then came their undoing: Operation Jackpot, one of the largest drug investigations ever and an opening volley in Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs.
In Jackpot, author Jason Ryan takes us back to the heady days before drug smuggling was synonymous with deadly gunplay. During this golden age of marijuana trafficking, the country's most prominent kingpins were a group of wayward and fun-loving Southern gentlemen who forsook college educations to sail drug-laden luxury sailboats across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean. Les Riley, Barry Foy, and their comrades eschewed violence as much as they loved pleasure, and it was greed, lust, and disaster at sea that ultimately caught up with them, along with the law.
In a cat-and-mouse game played out in exotic locations across the globe, the smugglers sailed through hurricanes, broke out of jail, and survived encounters with armed militants in Colombia, Grenada, and Lebanon. Based on years of research and interviews with imprisoned and recently released smugglers and the law enforcement agents who tracked them down, Jackpot is sure to become a classic story from America's controversial Drug Wars."
I finished The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson. I absolutely loved it and will miss the characters. What a talented author! I just ordered A Town Called Solace. Fingers crossed that I like it as much as I liked Crow Lake and The Other Side of the Bridge!
Jim DeFede
The Day the World Came to Town 272 pgs When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, 2001, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill.
I just finished this touching account of how the wonderful people of Newfoundland cared for this sudden influx of "plane people" whose US-bound planes were rerouted to Gander when hijacked planes hit NY's twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. A quick and life-affirming read -- well, but not wonderfully told -- and I'd give it 3.5 stars.
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A very funny book. Nora Ephron is greatly missed!