Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis

Some authors are good at telling stories. Some provide solid content adding to the knowledge base. A few enable their readers to draw meaningful conclusions from their work. This author, Robert Putnam, does all three in a highly readable book that brings into focus the impact of economic inequality and related national trends, much like his seminal work Bowling Alone.

Our Kids is a great book for educators who observe these trends every day as it will enable them to understand what is happening and why it is occurring. Sociologists and others interested in public policy will find meaning in the demographic movements, especially related to socioeconomic implications. Local, state, and Federal educational policy makers and lawmakers should read this book to gain an appreciation for the complexity of the widening of class inequity as it influences individuals, families, and communities.