Our Kids
The American Dream in Crisis
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Robert D. Putnam
About this listen
A groundbreaking examination of the growing inequality gap from the best-selling author of Bowling Alone: why fewer Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility.
It's the American dream: get a good education, work hard, buy a house, and achieve prosperity and success. This is the America we believe in - a nation of opportunity, constrained only by ability and effort. But during the last 25 years, we have seen a disturbing "opportunity gap" emerge. Americans have always believed in equality of opportunity, the idea that all kids, regardless of their family background, should have a decent chance to improve their lot in life. Now this central tenet of the American dream seems no longer true or, at the least, much less true than it was. Robert Putnam - about whom The Economist said, "[H]is scholarship is wide-ranging, his intelligence luminous, his tone modest, his prose unpretentious and frequently funny" - offers a personal but also authoritative look at this new American crisis. Putnam begins with his high school class of 1959 in Port Clinton, Ohio. By and large the vast majority of those students - "our kids" - went on to lives better than those of their parents. But their children and grandchildren have had harder lives amid diminishing prospects. Putnam tells the tale of lessening opportunity through poignant life stories of rich and poor kids from cities and suburbs across the country, drawing on a formidable body of research done especially for this book.
Our Kids is a rare combination of individual testimony and rigorous evidence. Putnam provides a disturbing account of the American dream that should initiate a deep examination of the future of our country.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 Robert D. Putnam. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures - whether they be PTA, church, or political parties - have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.
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Long Long book
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Good historical analysis but weak recommendations.
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Performance
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Story
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- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
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-
-
Long Long book
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Overall
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Performance
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Overall
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-
-
Interesting Analysis
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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-
-
A good companion to Murray's Coming Apart
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Overall
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Story
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Performance
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The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Unabridged
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Everyone knows "what's wrong with millennials". Glenn Beck says we've been ruined by "participation trophies". Simon Sinek says we have low self-esteem. An Australian millionaire says millennials could all afford homes if we'd just give up avocado toast. Thanks, millionaire. This millennial is here to prove them all wrong.
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A devastating dream of revolution
- By Kevin Tierney Jr on 11-23-17
By: Malcolm Harris
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Ain’t No Makin’ It
- Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood
- By: Jay MacLeod
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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This classic text addresses one of the most important issues in modern social theory and policy: how social inequality is reproduced from one generation to the next. With the original 1987 publication of Ain’t No Makin’ It Jay MacLeod brought us to the Clarendon Heights housing project where we met the "Brothers" and the "Hallway Hangers". Their story of poverty, race, and defeatism moved listeners and challenged ethnic stereotypes.
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A Classic Every American Should Read
- By JW on 02-02-19
By: Jay MacLeod
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High Price
- A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society
- By: Carl Hart
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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A pioneering neuroscientist shares his story of growing up in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods and how it led him to his groundbreaking work in drug addiction. As a youth, Carl Hart didn't realize the value of school; he studied just enough to stay on the basketball team. At the same time, he was immersed in street life. Today he is a cutting-edge neuroscientist - Columbia University's first tenured African American professor in the sciences.
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Outstanding!
- By DaWoolf on 04-01-14
By: Carl Hart
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Ready or Not
- Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World
- By: Madeline Levine
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Ready or Not explores how today’s parenting techniques and our myopic educational system are failing to prepare children for their certain-to-be-uncertain future - and how we can reverse course to ensure their lasting adaptability, resilience, health, and happiness.
By: Madeline Levine
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It Was All a Dream
- A New Generation Confronts the Broken Promise to Black America
- By: Reniqua Allen
- Narrated by: Shayna Small
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Reniqua Allen tells the stories of Black millennials searching for a better future in spite of racist policies that have closed off traditional versions of success. Many watched their parents and grandparents play by the rules, only to sink deeper and deeper into debt. They witnessed their elders fight to escape cycles of oppression for more promising prospects, largely to no avail. Today, in this post-Obama era, they face a critical turning point. Interweaving her own experience, Allen shares surprising stories of hope and ingenuity.
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Great statistics and facts
- By Eve on 05-18-19
By: Reniqua Allen
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The End of Men
- And the Rise of Women
- By: Hanna Rosin
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Men have been the dominant sex since - well, the dawn of mankind. And yet, as journalist Hanna Rosin discovered, that long-held truth is no longer true. At this unprecedented moment, women are no longer merely gaining on men; they have pulled decisively ahead by almost every measure. Already "the end of men" - the phrase Rosin coined - has entered the lexicon as indelibly as Simone de Beauvoir’s "second sex", Betty Friedan’s "feminine mystique", Susan Faludi’s "backlash", and Naomi Wolf’s "beauty myth" have.
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Great book, don't care for the reader's style
- By Darren on 12-05-12
By: Hanna Rosin
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Disintegration
- The Splintering of Black America
- By: Eugene Robinson
- Narrated by: Alan Bomar Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The African American population in the United States has always been seen as a single entity: a "Black America" with unified interests and needs. In his groundbreaking book Disintegration, longtime Washington Post journalist Eugene Robinson argues that, through decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America has shattered.
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Written for Popular Consumption
- By Catherine S. Read on 06-03-11
By: Eugene Robinson
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The Sibling Effect
- What the Bonds among Brothers and Sisters Reveal about Us
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Nobody affects us as deeply as our brothers and sisters - not parents, not children, not friends. From the time we - and they - are born, our siblings are our collaborators and co-conspirators, our role models and cautionary tales. They teach us how to resolve conflicts and how not to, how to conduct friendships and when to walk away.
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This is the only book I never finished
- By Rob on 06-25-12
By: Jeffrey Kluger
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The War Against Boys
- How Misguided Policies Are Harming Our Young Men
- By: Christina Hoff Sommers
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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An updated and revised edition of the controversial classic - now more relevant than ever - argues that boys are the ones languishing socially and academically, resulting in staggering social and economic costs. After two major waves of feminism and decades of policy reform, women have made massive strides in education. Today they outperform men in nearly every measure of social, academic, and vocational well-being. Christina Hoff Sommers contends that it's time to take a hard look at present-day realities and recognize that boys need help.
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Important Book
- By VeritasPlz on 11-05-18
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All the Single Ladies
- Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
- By: Rebecca Traister
- Narrated by: Candace Thaxton, Rebecca Traister - introduction
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In a provocative, groundbreaking work, National Magazine Award finalist Rebecca Traister, "the most brilliant voice on feminism in this country" (Anne Lamott), traces the history of unmarried women in America who, through social, political, and economic means, have radically shaped our nation.
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Excellent book, destroyed by narration
- By Theresa Holleran on 03-06-16
By: Rebecca Traister
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What listeners say about Our Kids
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Austin Ashwill
- 06-26-22
Good companion to Coming Apart by Charles Murray
good companion book to Coming Apart by Charles Murray and Dream Hoarders by Richard Reeves
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- Real People
- 07-05-15
A Must Read for Anyone Who Cares!
Finally, a research-based complete look at the good, bad, and ugly in the Educational System in America. Forcing a wide-eyed look at what is really happening in the US and reminding the reader that it is just to easy to blame it on the educators! Well worth reading--let's hope there will be action by many!
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- Doc
- 06-29-16
Required reading
This book should be required reading for anyone concerned with education in the US. Let me expand on the terms of that statement. By anyone, I mean teachers, administrators, parents, politicians, volunteers, and activists. By education, I mean K-12 and higher ed. Though the most salient points of this research cry for action at the K-12 level, there are important implications for higher ed as well, particularly with regard to the role of community colleges and the proprietary sector. There's nothing less at stake than the future of our economy and our democracy and that elusive conception we term "the American Dream."
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- Mastiff Enthusiast
- 06-15-19
well thought out, wish there were more stats
very effective use of narratives to illustrate points. but being a nerd, I wish there were a few more nationwide statistics to support the story. I also really like these fact that he addy least *tried* to talk about solutions. so many of these books point out the problem but then have no real solution to it. hopefully a politician somewhere is listening.
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- Jacob Weinberg
- 07-14-22
A Must Read to Understand the Growing Wealth Gap
Putnam did a great job explaining how in the 1950s everybody had similar opportunities, but how recent developments have focused opportunities for Success on the children of wealthy kids. it's very telling about the causes of the continued loss and lack of opportunities for poorer kids to achieve success in life.
Some have commented that's only if progressives would understand the issues of this book. I agree, because only progressives actually want to improve upon the situation and the issues we have in this country. Others choose to try to maintain the status quo or regress to a time where people had a lot less right and America was more business friendly (i.e. workers have no rights).
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-08-22
Concerning and worthy of action
As an audible, the only negative is that some of the statistical information can be missed. However, the inclusion of pdfs for the Audible is pretty amazing.
As a book, it is a challenge. Once you see the problem, you cannot unsee the problem. And, the standard solutions typically given by either side of the political spectrum feel paltry and insincere. If we are called to love our brother, we appear to be failing.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-07-15
Excellent book raised some troubling issues...
Really fascinating portrayal and explanation of what is happening with advantaged and disadvantaged kids in today's America, and why all of us should care and should take action!
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- Hailey Lyman
- 08-28-18
Everyone should read this
All the kids in America are "our kids" and it is our responsibility to help them and give them opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have. If you don't believe that, read this book and it will change your life.
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- Christine
- 03-21-15
Must read for every American parent today.
I only wish a sequel will come out with more stories from American kids. But best ever would be to catch up with the study participants in 5 years, 10 years.....etc.
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- Aneil and Karen Mishra
- 07-28-15
A compelling case for action before it's too late.
A thorough and thoroughly heartbreaking treatment of declining social mobility in the U.S. Nonetheless, it convincing identified its causes as well as potential cures. Must-reading for both conservatives and liberals alike.
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