After America's Midlife Crisis - Rilegato

Gecan, Michael

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0262013606 ISBN 13: 9780262013604

Casa editrice: Mit Pr, 2009

Riassunto

Michael Gecan, a longtime community organizer, offers in this book a disturbingconclusion: the kinds of problems that began to afflict large cities in the 1970s have now spread tothe suburbs and beyond. The institutional cornerstones of American life are on an extended decline.No longer young, no longer without limitations or constraints, the country is facing a midlifecrisis.Drawing on personal experiences and the stories of communities in Illinois, New York, andother areas, Gecan draws a vivid picture of civic, political, and religious institutions in trouble,from suburban budget crises to failing public schools. Gecan shows that the loss of social capitalhas followed closely upon institutional failure. He looks in particular at the two main supportsystems of social mobility and economic progress for the majority of working poor Americans in thefirst half of the last century--the Roman Catholic school system and the American public highschool. As these institutions that generated social progress have faded, those depending on socialregression--prisons, jails, and detention centers--have thrived. Can we reverse the trends? Gecanoffers hope and a direction forward. He calls on national and local leadership to shed old ways ofthinking and face new realities, which include not only the substantial costs of change but also itsconsiderable benefits. Only then will we enjoy the next rich phase of our local and nationallife.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Michael Gecan, a veteran organizer who trained with Saul Alinsky, is an executive member of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). He has worked in both Chicago and New York City and is the author of Going Public: An Organizer's Guide to Citizen Action.

Product Description:

Book by Gecan Michael

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Mit Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0262013606
• ISBN 13: 9780262013604
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 128