{"product_id":"agency-the-four-point-plan-f-r-e-e-for-all-children-to-overcome-the-victimhood-narrative-and-discover-their-pathway-to-power-9781599475837","title":"Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for ALL","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery child in America deserves to know that a path to a successful life exists and that they have the power to follow it. But many never set foot on that path because they grow up hearing the message that systemic forces control their destinies, or that they are at fault for everything that has gone wrong in their lives. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These children often come from difficult circumstances. Many are raised by young, single parents, live in disadvantaged neighborhoods, attend substandard schools, and lack the moral safeguards of religious and civic institutions. As a result, they can be dispirited into cycles of learned helplessness rather than inspired to pursue their own possibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet this phenomenon is not universal. Some children thrive where others do not. Why? Are there personal behaviors and institutional supports that have proven to make a difference in helping young people chart a course for their futures? Agency answers with a loud and clear “yes!” \u003cbr\u003e This book describes four pillars that can uplift every young person as they make the passage into adulthood: Family, Religion, Education, and Entrepreneurship. Together, these pillars embody the true meaning of freedom, wherein people are motivated to embrace the ennobling responsibilities of building healthy social structures and shaping the outcomes of their own lives. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For that reason, Ian Rowe calls the four pillars the FREE framework. With this framework in place, children are empowered to develop agency, which Rowe defines as the force of one’s free will, guided by moral discernment. Developing agency is the alternative to the debilitating ‘blame-the-system’ and ‘blame-the-victim’ narratives. It transcends our political differences and beckons all who dare to envision lives unshackled by present realities. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In addition to making the case for agency, Rowe shares his personal story of success coming from an immigrant family. He defends America as an ever-improving country worthy of our esteem. He corrects misguided calls for “anti-racism” and “equity,” and champions a game plan for creating new agents of agency, dedicated to promoting the aspirational spirit of America’s children, and showing them the path that will set them FREE. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e “An eloquent argument. . . . [Rowe] is calling not for superstar behavior but an adjustment in normal ways of going through normal lives.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eJohn McWhorter\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eAgency\u003c\/i\u003e is a book that people on both the left and the right should read. It is a guidebook for those who want to help lift up lower-income communities and struggling individuals. It is common sense reimagined.” \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eAyaan Hirsi Ali\u003c\/b\u003e, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and founder of the AHA Foundation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This hope-filled, wise, and spiritually enlightening book should be read—must be read—by every parent, teacher, legislator, and community activist in America. With passion, clarity of thought, and abiding faith in the unlimited possibilities of this great nation, an accomplished educator and entrepreneur, Ian Rowe, provides a road map for all of our children to realize their full human potential.” \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eGlenn Loury\u003c\/b\u003e, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics, Brown University\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “What a strange world we live in, where the party of libertarians declares we are radically free, and the party of fate—the party that preaches the dogma of ‘systemic racism’—declares that only the state can save us. Ian Rowe tells us there is a third, realistic alternative: we flourish and discover true liberty only in and through our mediating institutions, most notably, our families. We discover a way forward for our entire country in this fine-grained and deeply personal account.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eJoshua Mitchell,\u003c\/b\u003e professor of government, Georgetown University\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “In \u003ci\u003eAgency\u003c\/i\u003e, Ian Rowe provides a thoughtful and nuanced analysis of the challenges facing struggling communities and offers a practical, data-driven framework to empower even those from the most difficult circumstances to overcome barriers and succeed. Rowe’s FREE framework centers on the importance of faith, family, education, and personal responsibility. He recognizes that a vibrant civil society with strong local institutions is a key ingredient for human flourishing. Rowe’s message is a compassionate, inspiring, and refreshing alternative to the divisive, disempowering rhetoric we so often hear today.” \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eElise Westhoff\u003c\/b\u003e, president, and CEO, Philanthropy Roundtable \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e “This book is a gift to all those in the rising generation who are baffled by the ominous pessimism that our culture now projects at them from every direction and find themselves unable to envision a future that speaks to their highs longings. They deserve better from us. And Rowe offers them better by helping them see where a morally meaningful sense of direction might be found.” \u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eYuval Levin\u003c\/b\u003e, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute and editor of \u003ci\u003eNational Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Ian Rowe brings a critical new perspective to our national discourse. Those who care about our nation should read \u003ci\u003eAgency\u003c\/i\u003e for important insights on fixing our culture.” —\u003cb\u003eStar Parker\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMountain Democrat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003c\/i\u003eI cannot more highly recommend \u003ci\u003eAgency\u003c\/i\u003e. Particularly in these hyper-polarized times, conservatives should be the first to break out of the blame-the-system-versus-blame-the-victim false dichotomy. If anyone should affirm that family, church, school, and community help to form individuals so that they can truly flourish, it is conservatives. Let us follow Rowe’s example and lean into the building and revitalizing of the institutions that will nourish the minds and souls of our young people, even in the (apparently) darkest and most hopeless places. After all, ’a light shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’” —\u003cb\u003eDr. Rachel Ferguson\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUniversity Bookman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003c\/i\u003eIan Rowe is an optimist, and that shines through in his new book, \u003ci\u003eAgency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power\u003c\/i\u003e. . . . In his book—the rest of the acronym stands for religion, education, and entrepreneurship—he lays out his experiences embracing these foundational principles, and his observations of what happens when they’re not embraced. He uses all this to make the case that the only way for children to overcome the barriers to success that the current culture has erected is to get back to basics. . . . As teacher unions continue to worry more about their political connections than they do about teachers and as parents begin the long struggle to reinvolve themselves in their children’s education following the COVID wake-up call, the nation’s children—and the people that care for them—will, fortunately, have the optimism of Mr. Rowe to look to and learn from. —\u003cb\u003eSarah Lee\u003c\/b\u003e, Capital Research Center \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eForeword \/ xi\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction \/ 3\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 1 What Is Agency and Why Do We Need It Today?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 \u003c\/b\u003eWhat Is Agency and Why Is It So Crucial to Human Flourishing? \/ 15\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 \u003c\/b\u003eTwo Competing Visions of What Impedes the American Dream and the Effort to Build Agency \/ 25\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 \u003c\/b\u003eThe Third Way: Revitalizing Mediating Institutions to Strengthen Civil Society and Spark Individual Agency \/ 37\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 \u003c\/b\u003eHow Believing You Live in a Good, If Not Great, Country Helps Build Agency \/ 47\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5 \u003c\/b\u003eHow the Hard Bigotry of “Antiracist” Expectations and the Pursuit of “Equity” Erode Agency for All \/ 57\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 2 How My Story of Discovering the Importance of Family Structure Opened the Door for Me to View Agency as the Path Forward for Young Americans\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6 \u003c\/b\u003eWho’s Your Daddy? The Moment I Realized Schools Were Not Enough to Build Agency \/ 79\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7 \u003c\/b\u003eRobbing Our Young People of Agency: Silence or Denial about the Importance of Family Structure \/ 91\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e8 \u003c\/b\u003eHow America Has Changed Young Hearts and Minds in the Past: Teen Pregnancy \/ 105\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e9 \u003c\/b\u003eDan Quayle Was Right, But His Strategy Was Wrong \/ 129\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10 \u003c\/b\u003eThe Success Sequence: The Empowering Alternative and the Other Building Blocks of Agency \/ 139\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e11 \u003c\/b\u003eThe Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foundation of Family \/ 149\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART 3 How FREE Can Usher in a New “Age of Agency” for Young Americans\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e12 \u003c\/b\u003eThe FREE Framework to Build Agency \/ 157\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e13 \u003c\/b\u003eFamily \/ 165\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e14 \u003c\/b\u003eReligion \/ 175\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e15 \u003c\/b\u003eEducation \/ 185\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e16 \u003c\/b\u003eEntrepreneurship \/ 205\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e17 \u003c\/b\u003eA New Age of Agency \/ 213\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfterword \/ 223\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAppendix \/ 227\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments \/ 241\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Templeton Foundation Press,U.S.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50578240209239,"sku":"9781599475837","price":21.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781599475837.jpg?v=1746098453","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/agency-the-four-point-plan-f-r-e-e-for-all-children-to-overcome-the-victimhood-narrative-and-discover-their-pathway-to-power-9781599475837","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}