Downloads

These free resources will help you apply the lessons of "More Than One Story" in your own work and community.

Toolkit

The free More than One Story toolkit offers a handy summary of our research, the full Better Conversations toolkit, the stories from our community series, and support materials for listeners and educators.

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Select Bibliography

These books informed our project and are great choices for further reading.

Radical Universalism book cover

Radical Universalism

by Omri Boehm

A philosophical examination of why so-called identity politics isn't working on either end of the political spectrum.

The Great Contradiction book cover

The Great Contradiction

by Joseph J. Ellis

The founding fathers wrote that "all men are created equal" — but that declaration sharply contrasted with the brutal reality faced by enslaved people and Indians. Ellis, a historian, explains how this contradiction came to be.

The Great Good Place book cover

The Great Good Place

by Ray Oldenburg

Oldenburg, a sociologist, devised the term "third places" to name community gathering places such as libraries, multicultural centers, bars, and coffee shops. Suburban sprawl and car culture have made it more difficult for people to have frequent low-stakes conversations with people they don't know very well. Third places are vital to community health — and they're rapidly disappearing.

Bowling Alone book cover

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

by Robert D. Putnam

A political scientist examines the decline of community traditions and institutions, including bowling leagues and churches. What we have come to think of the loneliness epidemic in the United States is rooted in these changes.

The Participatory Museum book cover

The Participatory Museum

by Nina Simon

Simon is a museum consultant, and much of her work (including this book) is pitched to museums and arts institutions. But her subjects, at heart, are community building and inclusivity. This book is available for purchase, but it is also available for free on Simon's website.

The Art of Relevance book cover

The Art of Relevance

by Nina Simon

Simon's more recent title is geared toward a wider audience. She asks sharp questions and offers wise advice about how to make work that really matters to people. This book is available for purchase, but it is also available for free on Simon's website.

Difficult Conversations book cover

Difficult Conversations

by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen

While this title is shelved with business and management books, its usefulness is more broad. A great guide for anyone who wants to understand how to communicate better.

Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope book cover

Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope

by Brandon M. Terry

A Harvard historian challenges the popular notion that the civil rights movement was a romantic success. Instead, Terry argues, we should think of the movement as an unfinished tragedy. Influenced by literary criticism, Terry "reads" the narratives of American history and asks what happens when you switch genres.

Freedom Stories

More than One Story built on the work of ISC's Freedom Stories initiative, which was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Freedom Stories illuminates underappreciated, ignored, or neglected aspects of African American and Appalachian history.