One Community Reads: An Evening with Eric Klinenberg

A collaboration among The City Club of Cleveland, ideastream, Playhouse Square, and all nine local public library systems, One Community Reads is designed to broaden and deepen our appreciation of reading and to cultivate dialogue based upon a shared reading experience for the Greater Cleveland Community.

In the face of increasing political polarization, climate emergencies, and declining civic institutions, renowned sociologist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Klinenberg’s book Palaces For The People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life reveals how we can find common purpose through the places that form the foundation of our neighborhoods.

This provocative book reframes our conception of civic life, arguing that the resilience of our communities rests not on shared values but on shared spaces capable of fostering crucial, sometimes even life-saving connections. In clear, accessible prose, Klinenberg explains that today’s most pressing issues crime, education, the opioid crisis, and climate change—can all be addressed with place-based policies, and demonstrates how such policies have been put into effect with great success.