'Our Kids' suggests an American dream out of reach for many
Has the American Dream become a myth?聽 Is the poor kid who studies hard, works his way up, and achieves success, more legend than reality?
Robert D. Putnam claims that American-Dream-style upward mobility 鈥渉as stalled鈥� and that there has been a 鈥渟teady deterioration of the economic circumstances of lower-class families, especially compared to the expanding resources available to upper-class parents.鈥�
A public policy professor at Harvard University, Putnam has written extensively about the dynamics of American society.聽 He says that 鈥淸g]raphically, the ups and downs of inequality in America during the twentieth century trace a gigantic U, beginning and ending in two Gilded Ages.鈥� He聽 argues that there was 鈥渁 long period of relative equality around mid-century鈥� but he sees little trace of that today.
Putnam starts his new book Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by making a 鈥淏ack to the Future鈥�-style visit to his childhood home town of Port Clinton, Ohio, where he graduated from high school in 1959.聽 He examines how that community has changed, and how the gap there between rich and poor 鈥� financially,聽 socially and educationally 鈥� has widened since the 1950s.
In absorbing profiles Putnam recounts the trajectories of the lives of several people he grew up with.聽 Looking at his own generation, he says 鈥渦pward mobility among the kids from the lower half of the socioeconomic hierarchy was almost as great as among the most privileged kids.鈥� But today, after losing manufacturing jobs and downtown shops emptying in favor of Family Dollar and Walmart, this small city has bifurcated into a wealthy, privileged class versus families struggling to remain viable.
Chelsea, from an affluent family living in a large home overlooking Lake Erie with supportive聽 parents, now has a graduate degree.聽 By contrast David, whose dad is in prison and whose mom he rarely saw growing up, 鈥渉as had to fend for himself his entire life.鈥� He wants to get more education and steady his tumultuous life, but feels stuck in dead-end jobs.
Putnam profiles a variety of families from other American communities in 鈥淥ur Kids鈥� 鈥�- all to illustrate that 鈥淸t]he disadvantages facing poor kids begin early and run deep.鈥� And that 鈥渒ids from affluent, educated homes get the best of both worlds 鈥撀� more monetary investment ... and more time investment [parental involvement].鈥�
Putnam anecdotally and statistically shows that kids in well-off families benefit from high-quality schools, safe neighborhoods, helpful mentoring connections, enriching extracurricular activities.... the list goes on and on. Yes, some of the parents in Putnam鈥檚 profiles of struggling families have made bad decisions.聽 But he implies that in a world like the one he grew up in in the 1950s, with stable jobs and supportive communities, and where far fewer children were born to poor, unmarried moms, kids would not be growing up in chaos.
Putnam has once again written a book that helps America understand itself 鈥� where, as a society, it鈥檚 going, where it鈥檚 been, and what traditional strengths it must find new ways to preserve and restore.
He is a master of making statistics tell a convincing story.聽 In his bestselling book from 2000, 鈥淏owling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,鈥� he employed a giant body of information to argue the United States is being weakened by a gradual collapse of social connections.
鈥淏owling鈥� is eclipsed in poignancy by 鈥淥ur Kids,鈥� thanks to the personal profiles Putnam includes.聽 He is a convincing and clear writer, able to turn a phrase to display his argument in sharp relief.
It鈥檚 no news flash that many children in America today face obstacles to success.聽 But Putnam demonstrates these obstacles have gotten worse. America鈥檚 changed economy has undermined workers who relied on bread-and-butter employment, and hasn鈥檛, so far, created a paradigm where working-class families can restart their lives.
In his 鈥淲hat is to be Done鈥� chapter Putnam makes recommendations.聽 These include ideas for reducing 鈥渘onmarital聽 birth rates,鈥� for government policies that put more money in the pockets of poor parents, and for reducing incarceration for non-violent crime, freeing dads to be dads.聽 He advocates for high-quality day care and preschool education.
With regard to schools, he recommends recruiting better teachers and extending school hours to offer more enriching activities.聽 Furthermore, he argues for strengthening vocational and apprenticeship training for non-college-bound young people.
Finally, he returns to a 鈥淏owling Alone鈥� theme, and concludes this important and worthy book by suggesting steps to strengthen and revitalize neighborhoods.
