From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

A look back at 2012 and what it tells us about community building in America.

I'm Sarah Terry sitting in for Warren Allney, and this is to the point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Divisive elections and political debates, horrific shootings, angrily defended positions on issues

like gun control are all part of the history of 2012.

But there's another way of looking at the year.

Americans found new ways to redefine and rebuild community in 2012,

from their responses to disasters, to social media networks,

to grassroots efforts in places like Detroit.

How does our sense of community shape our sense of ourselves?

On reporter's notebook later on, 375 trillion and counting. No, not stars in the universe, photographs. First, the news.

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Program Fund.

I'm Sarah Terry sitting in for Warren Olney, back with To the Point from PRI.

That old adage of not seeing the forest for the trees seems to have some relevance this year.

The headlines of 2012 tell the story of divisiveness and anger, but take a step back, and 2012 has some different stories to tell.

Outside the breaking news cycle of disaster and animosity, Americans found new ways to embrace

community and to draw wider circles of inclusion, from the passage of gay marriage laws to community

building on the streets of Detroit. On reporter's notebook, all those Kodak moments are adding up. By one

...