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07-02-2022 | Book Review

Robert D. Putnam, with Shaylyn Romney Garrett, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again

Simon and Schuster, 2020, 465 pp., ISBN: 978–1,982,129,156.

Author: William E. Cain

Published in: Society | Issue 1/2022

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For decades, Robert D. Putnam has been calling attention to the ever-worsening social, political, and economic conditions of life for many in the United States. To his credit, he has linked this tough-minded critique to forthright arguments for what we can and must do. He maintains that amid the trouble that the nation is in, there are nonetheless good reasons for us to feel inspiration and hope. But in his new book, The Upswing, there is a weakening and ebbing of Putnam’s affirmative claims. …

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The title page of The Upswing states that Putnam was assisted by Shalyn Romney Garrett, a former student and a writer, researcher, and social entrepreneur, and he speaks about her generously and graciously in the Acknowledgments (349–350). But The Upswing is, at its core, Putnam’s book, as the title-page (Garrett’s name is in much smaller print) and as the publisher’s description and promotion make clear. For instance, the dust-jacket text concludes, “This is Putnam’s most ambitious work yet and a fitting capstone to a brilliant career”. All of the glowing blurbs printed on the back-cover refer only to him.

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Bulmer-Thomas, Victor. 2018. Empire in Retreat: The Past, Present, and Future of the United States. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Carden, David L. 2021. “To Save Democracy, America Needs a Mandatory Public Service Program.” FP Insider online. October 31.

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Engel, Jeffrey A. 2008. “The Democratic Language of American Imperialism: Race, Order, and Theodore Roosevelt’s Personifications of Foreign Policy Evil.” Diplomacy and Statecraft 19, 4: 671-689.CrossRef

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Ferguson, Niall. 2004. Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire. New York: Penguin Books.

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Gould, Joe, and Leo Shane III. 2021. “Plans for Bigger Defense Budget Get Boost after House Authorization Bill Vote.” Military Times online. September 23.

Grandin, Greg. 2006. Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism. New York: Metropolitan Books.

Greenhouse, Steven. 2021. “U.S. Unions: ‘Striketober’ Is Showing Workers’ Rising Power—But Will It Lead to Lasting Change?” The Guardian. October 23.

Hendrickson, David C. 2017. Republic in Peril: American Empire and the Liberal Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hernandez, Joe. 2021. “Since 9/11, Military Suicides Are 4 Times Higher Than Deaths In War Operations.” National Public Radio (NPR). June 24.

Hoganson, Kristin L., and Jay Sexton, eds. 2020. Crossing Empires: Taking U. S. History into Transimperial Terrain. Durham: Duke University Press.

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James, William. 1903, rpt. 1987. “Address on the Philippine Question.” William James: Writings, 1902-1910. Ed. Bruce Kuklick. New York: Library of America. 1130-1135.

Johnson, Chalmers. 2004. Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire. 2nd ed. New York: Holt.

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Laich, Dennis, and Lawrence Wilkerson. 2017. “The Deep Unfairness of America’s All-Volunteer Force.” The American Conservative. October 16.

Levin, Annie. 2021. “A National Surge of Organizing Shows the Power of Unionizing. The Progressive Magazine online. October 26.

Lichtenstein, Nelson. 2021. “Is This a Strike Wave?” Dissent Magazine online. October 25.

Merrefield, Clark. 2021. “Research Sheds Light on How Labor Unions Reduced Income Inequality from WWII Through the 1970s.” Economics: The Journalist’s Resource online. October 4.

Mehta, Aaron. 2021. “U.S. Increases Dominance of Global Arms Exports.” Defense News. March 15.

Meyers, Meghann. 2021. “In Uncertain Economic Times, Some of the Services Are Upping Their Recruiting Goals.” Military Times. February 2.

Murphy, Andrew R. 2009. Prodigal Nation: Moral Decline and Divine Punishment from New England to 9/11. New York: Oxford University Press.

Osborn, Kris. 2020. “China’s Overseas Military Bases: Should We Be Worried?” The National Interest online. June 26.

Parker, Ashley, and Carissa Wolf. 2021. “Biden’s Critics Hurl Increasingly Vulgar Taunts.” Washington Post. October 23.

Pew Research Center. 2021. “Majorities of Adults See Decline of Union Membership as Bad for the U.S. and Working People.” April 15.

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Putnam, Robert D. 2007. “E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century: The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture.” Scandinavian Political Studies 30, 2: 137-174.CrossRef

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Title: Robert D. Putnam, with Shaylyn Romney Garrett, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again
Simon and Schuster, 2020, 465 pp., ISBN: 978–1,982,129,156.
Author: William E. Cain
Publication date: 07-02-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Society / Issue 1/2022
Print ISSN: 0147-2011
Electronic ISSN: 1936-4725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-022-00669-0

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