Well Read In keeping with this issue’s theme of public service and civic engagement, here are some relevant — and riveting — reads recommended by Willamette faculty and staff.
Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis By Robert Putnam
Capital in the Twenty-First Century By Thomas Piketty
Without You, There Is No Us: My Time With the Sons of North Korea’s Elite By Suki Kim
Freedom Is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements By Francesca Polletta
Inequality comes in many flavors and expresses itself in surprising ways. Robert Putnam, whose landmark book, “Bowling Alone,” taught us to think about social capital, is back with a troubling set of observations about how inequality separates us from each other. Education has long been perceived as the engine of social and economic mobility. And parents have often measured their success by whether or not their children have “outperformed” them in terms of education, jobs, income. But Putnam believes that phenomenon is endangered as he considers the lives of the wealthy and the impoverished across America.
It’s unusual for a book on economics to hit No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list, even more unusual when it was originally written in French. But economist Thomas Piketty has a provocative argument: that, unlike the “up by your bootstraps,” work hard, flourish point of view, Europe and America are returning to what he calls “patrimonial capitalism” — an upmarket term for inherited, rather than earned, fortunes. Piketty doesn’t see advances in technology and innovation as remedies. Instead, he argues that government intervention must reform capitalism. Fans and critics are weighing in — each camp with strong points of view. The book was a finalist for the 2014 National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction.
Interested in travel and teaching? Land a job at North Korea’s all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Discuss different cultures. Encourage your students to learn about the wider world. Just kidding. Korean-American Suki Kim spent six months in 2011 as an English instructor at North Korea’s most selective tech institution, ironically without access to even the Internet. In an NPR interview, Kim explained, “You never, ever bring up anything about the outside world. But then, you live together for months and share three meals a day together. Then, suddenly, things start happening….” Insight into a closed world and Kim’s attachment to her students make for a fascinating read.
How does change take place? Francesca Polletta’s book defends the power and the workability of participatory democracy. Based on more than 100 interviews with activists, Polletta identified what works and what interferes with meaningful social change. In compelling examples — labor struggles, pre-World War II pacifism, voter registration in Mississippi — the book lays out a game plan for successful democracy. What to do: balance trust with accountability, respect with openness to disagreement and caring with inclusiveness. The book won Choice magazine’s Outstanding Academic Title award.
Recommended by Richard Ellis, Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics
Recommended by Fred Thompson, Grace and Elmer Goudy Professor of Public Management and Policy
Recommended by David Gutterman, associate professor of politics
Recommended by Mary Rumsey, reference and instructional services librarian at the College of Law
Illustration by Jane Mount 42
SUMMER 2015