Subject: Chatterbox's Gutter Ball

Re: " Chatterbox: Do Soccer Moms Bowl Alone?"

From: Bob Putnam

Date: Fri Jun 9  5:00 p.m.

It's always fun to debate a book's thesis without having to read it. I hate to rain a few facts on Mr. Noah's game when he's on a roll, but soccer leagues are not the salvation of American democracy. As an ex-soccer dad and ex-Little League coach, I enthusiastically agree that soccer and baseball sidelines can be sites of community connection. However, as my book Bowling Alone reports, when we add up the youth sports that are growing and those that are declining, all the evidence points to a net decline in youth sports participation over the last decade or two. Soccer participation, contrary to Noah's assumption, leveled off far below saturation levels. Moreover, the numbers of soccer parents (though growing) are still tiny, compared to the declines in other forms of community involvement in America. When Noah gets around to reading Bowling Alone, he will discover this.

[To reply, click here; to read an unedited version of Putnam's letter—plus Chatterbox's reply—click here and scroll to the bottom.]

Subject: Melville—Like Sontag, a Literary "Thief"

Re: " Culturebox: The Strange Case of Susan Sontag"

From: M.L. Diamond

Date: Wed Jun 14  10:57 a.m.