In New Book, 'Bowling Alone' Author Examines Impact Of Economic Inequality On Kids

It's the American dream: no matter who you are, you can get an education, work hard, play by the rules and get ahead. That's the dream, anyway.

But, in recent years, the reality is increasingly defined by growing inequality. It's true across the country and here in Boston — a city with one of the highest rates of income inequality in America.

Robert Putnam argues that this has created a huge "opportunity gap" between rich kids and poor kids. He says, getting ahead is no longer an opportunity available to all, but instead, a kind of lottery. All you need to do is choose the right grandparents.

Robert Putnam is a social scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard. He's author of the bestselling book about America's decaying civic culture, "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community," which came out in the 1990s.

His latest book about American life looks at how a growing population of America's kids are cut off from stable families, good schools and the chance to move up the social ladder. It's a work of carefully researched social science — and an appeal to America's moral conscience. It's called "Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis."

Robert Putnam, social scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard. His new book is "Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis." He tweets @RobertDPutnam.

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