Summary of Bowling Alone

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community is a 2000 non-fiction book by Robert D. Putnam. It details the decline of social capital in the United States since the 1950s. Putnam argues that the decline in bowling league participation is an example of the wider decline of social capital, which he believes has negative implications for democracy. He also examines the effects of technology, suburban sprawl, two-career families, television, and other factors on social capital in the United States. Putnam calls for a revival of civic engagement in order to reverse the decline of social capital and the corresponding decline in community.