Film Screening: Join or Die

Please join us at a special screening of Join or Die, a film about why you should join a club...and why the fate of America depends on it.

In this Emmy-nominated feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis. The film also discusses the direct impact of social disconnection on mortality rates, arguing that people living in social isolation die earlier than those with stronger social bonds. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Priya Parker, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Jane McAlevey, and Eddie Glaude Jr. — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?

About Robert Putnam
Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam is America’s preeminent political scientist — and one of the most widely read and cited social scientists living today. Author of fourteen books, translated into twenty languages, his work focuses on asking big questions about American society and deploying immense, creative studies and analyses to unlock answers.

His “Bowling Alone” research — which demonstrated that levels of American community connections were in decline over the past half-century — rocketed Putnam to national fame in the late 1990s, earning him the moniker “the poet laureate of civil society” and the ear of presidents, religious leaders, and tech founders over the coming decades. In 2012, Putnam received the National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities. As more Americans turn on to the reality of our social isolation crisis, a consistent drumbeat of media interest in revisiting Putnam’s work has grown. More information is available at https://joinordiefilm.com/.

Doors will open at 6:30pm, with the film to begin at 7:00pm. The run time is 90 minutes. Movie snacks & refreshments provided. 

Registration is requested. Please register online or call (203) 762-6334.

This program is made possible by the generosity and collaboration of Block Party USA, Town of Wilton Social Services, Wilton Library, Wilton Public Schools, and Wilton Youth Council.