Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam. In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbours, democratic structures - and how we can reconnect. It warns us that the very basis of our connections with each other are withering. Drawing on nearly half a million interviews conducted over a quarter of a century in America, Putnam shows how changes in work, family structure, age, suburban life, television, computers, women's roles and other factors are isolating Americans from each other in a trend which can also be clearly be seen in European society too. I read with interest that we sign 30 percent fewer petitions than we did ten years ago. Membership in organisations such as the Boy Scouts, political parties and the Church is falling. Ties with friends and relatives are fraying, and we are 35% less likely to visit our neighbours or have dinner with our families than we were thirty years ago. It's an interesting read.