# Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/bowling-alone/

6 people recommended Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 5 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as an in-depth look at the topic of declining social connection and community life, and as a good place to start reading on the subject.

Summary written by Claude from 6 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Explores the topic in depth (2 comments in the sample): "There's a book called "Bowling Alone" that explores a lot of ideas around this." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47816282)) "it explores this topic in depth" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48962267))
- Good starting point for reading (2 comments in the sample): "Fukuyama (Trust) or Putnam (Bowling Alone) might be a good place to start" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45940002)) "Might want to read Bowling Alone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46636956))
- Describes the phenomenon clearly (1 comment in the sample): "I think Bowling Alone did a great job of describing the phenomena." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50091577))

## Other nonfiction books people recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg/): 38 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death/): 30 recommend, 5 mixed, 0 criticize
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation/): 21 recommend, 1 mixed, 11 criticize
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification/): 18 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam", https://hackerapproved.com/p/bowling-alone/ (6 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.