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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
3.75
Always like Brooks’ writing, although I may not always agree. Was it me or did this book feel like all the characteristics absent in someone in particular?
Always like Brooks’ writing, although I may not always agree. Was it me or did this book feel like all the characteristics absent in someone in particular?
If you're in the right frame of mind, this can truly be a life-altering book. Brooks profiles several people throughout history with what he considers 'character'. They are humble, loyal, devout, inspired, hard-working, willing to take one for the team - in short, not most of the things the average American is right now. We are into 'self' and identity and 'what do we want? really?' Brooks theorizes that right after World War II, (earlier than most people who have ever had to wait for a millennial to show up for work assume) we became the 'me' generation. Then he launches right into his short profiles of people like Dorothy Day, General George Marshall, and even Eisenhower's mother. These people all had character - not the type of qualities that made them famous (most are already on their way to being forgotten by history, if they were ever 'famous' in the first place) but the type that changed people around them. Then in the last chapter, Brooks discusses the things we should learn from these people - if you didn't already figure it out while being humbled by them yourself. They weren't perfect, these humans, but we can learn from them anyway.
Highly recommended for everyone from college graduates to people trying to find their purpose to self-involved hipsters.
Highly recommended for everyone from college graduates to people trying to find their purpose to self-involved hipsters.
The driving question of this book is: How do you foster virtue? Over the the course of 10 chapters, Brooks examines the lives of people like Dorothy Day, St. Augustine, Frances Perkins, George Eliot, and others to understand how they came to embrace the pursuit of goodness — not in the form of religious piety, but in humility, service, honesty, courage, love, and other characteristics that Brooks dubs "eulogy virtues."
This book struck a chord for me, as I've been thinking a lot about how my personal moral and spiritual convictions do or do not find expression in my daily life. What does it matter what I believe if that belief doesn't result in action? Can I honestly claim that I believe people are more important than things, generosity is more valuable than wealth, and integrity is of utmost important if my life doesn't bear out those claims?
The Road to Character issues a much-needed challenge to its readers: Your strivings for personal success, approval, and notoriety are of limited worth compared to pursuing self-giving humility, love, and courage for the good of others. Moral clarity in a time of rampant individualism and relativity would do ourselves, our communities, and broader society a great deal of good.
This book struck a chord for me, as I've been thinking a lot about how my personal moral and spiritual convictions do or do not find expression in my daily life. What does it matter what I believe if that belief doesn't result in action? Can I honestly claim that I believe people are more important than things, generosity is more valuable than wealth, and integrity is of utmost important if my life doesn't bear out those claims?
The Road to Character issues a much-needed challenge to its readers: Your strivings for personal success, approval, and notoriety are of limited worth compared to pursuing self-giving humility, love, and courage for the good of others. Moral clarity in a time of rampant individualism and relativity would do ourselves, our communities, and broader society a great deal of good.
Brooks is a long-time New York Times columnist and a weekly contributor to PBS Newshour and makes arguments from a socially conservative standpoint. In this work, he explores the evolution of culture—particularly Western culture—and its impact on values, morals, beliefs, and their role in molding character. Drawing inspiration from Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik's "The Lonely Man of Faith," Brooks examines the dichotomy between “Adam I” values, centered on external achievements and career aspirations, and “Adam II” values, concerned with internal growth and the struggles inherent to it. Brooks contends that genuine personal transformation stems from confronting internal adversities and challenges, maintaining humility, and dedicating oneself to causes greater than individual ambition. Although Brooks doesn't dismiss the importance of Adam I values, he critiques modern society's overemphasis on them, which he believes detrimentally affects individuals' inner lives and societal institutions at large. To build on this thesis, Brooks structures his book into chapters spotlighting one or two historical figures such as Frances Perkins, Dwight Eisenhower, Dorothy Day, George Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, George Eliot, St. Augustine, and the combined narrative of Samuel Johnson and Michel de Montaigne.
While I like the idea of this book, with its renewed emphasis on cultivating inner character through service and struggle, I think that the book falls short in a series of places. To begin with, the chapters highlighting these historical figures tend to be unfocused as they pertain to the thesis itself. While Brooks strives to showcase a character arc within these individuals as it pertains to specific values, this arc is sometimes very vague, and he fails to showcase how the story itself relates back to his larger argument. As a result, the book feels like a series of biographies couched between Brooks’s arguments which are formulated in the introduction and conclusion. So while learning about historical figures like Dorothy Day, A. Philip Randolph, and Baynard Rustin were extremely interesting, they did little to progress the book’s argument.
Another issue is one much bigger as it encompasses the larger debate of agency versus structure regarding such issues. While Brooks and his critics, mainly those on the left, see inherent problems within society, they differ in terms of how to solve the problems. While Brooks’s critics see problems coming from larger institutions, thus the need to either reform or replace those institutions, Brooks and social conservatives like him, see the solution through the internal reform of character, values, morals, and the like. To Brooks’ institutions, like the government, are social constructions, and as social constructions they are populated by individual people, thus we need to focus on reforming the internal character of those individuals. That said, what many critics of this philosophy point out, is the inequality perpetrated by and corruption of institutions, and those leading them, are allowed to fester, as little attention and focus is given to them. In other words, to Brooks and those like them, the social forces leading to poverty and inequality aren’t the problem, only in how we respond to it.
It’s worth noting that while Brooks tends to look to the past to highlight the benefits of inner self-development and character construction, he is the first to highlight the extreme problems inherent then, whether it be overt racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. He argues that the shift in culture was needed to right many of these wrongs. However, he also assumes (wrongly, in my opinion) that many of these issues have largely been rectified and that the shift has gone too far.
To conclude, while I do sympathize with many of Brooks’s arguments and conclusions, there are many others that I do not. Moreover, while I do like the idea of this book and the focus on self-improvement through service, humility, challenges, and suffering, I think the structure and focus of the book needed a lot of work. Because of this, I would much rather read some of the books that he based his arguments on to learn more about these methods and examples of character development, rather than read this one again.
While I like the idea of this book, with its renewed emphasis on cultivating inner character through service and struggle, I think that the book falls short in a series of places. To begin with, the chapters highlighting these historical figures tend to be unfocused as they pertain to the thesis itself. While Brooks strives to showcase a character arc within these individuals as it pertains to specific values, this arc is sometimes very vague, and he fails to showcase how the story itself relates back to his larger argument. As a result, the book feels like a series of biographies couched between Brooks’s arguments which are formulated in the introduction and conclusion. So while learning about historical figures like Dorothy Day, A. Philip Randolph, and Baynard Rustin were extremely interesting, they did little to progress the book’s argument.
Another issue is one much bigger as it encompasses the larger debate of agency versus structure regarding such issues. While Brooks and his critics, mainly those on the left, see inherent problems within society, they differ in terms of how to solve the problems. While Brooks’s critics see problems coming from larger institutions, thus the need to either reform or replace those institutions, Brooks and social conservatives like him, see the solution through the internal reform of character, values, morals, and the like. To Brooks’ institutions, like the government, are social constructions, and as social constructions they are populated by individual people, thus we need to focus on reforming the internal character of those individuals. That said, what many critics of this philosophy point out, is the inequality perpetrated by and corruption of institutions, and those leading them, are allowed to fester, as little attention and focus is given to them. In other words, to Brooks and those like them, the social forces leading to poverty and inequality aren’t the problem, only in how we respond to it.
It’s worth noting that while Brooks tends to look to the past to highlight the benefits of inner self-development and character construction, he is the first to highlight the extreme problems inherent then, whether it be overt racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. He argues that the shift in culture was needed to right many of these wrongs. However, he also assumes (wrongly, in my opinion) that many of these issues have largely been rectified and that the shift has gone too far.
To conclude, while I do sympathize with many of Brooks’s arguments and conclusions, there are many others that I do not. Moreover, while I do like the idea of this book and the focus on self-improvement through service, humility, challenges, and suffering, I think the structure and focus of the book needed a lot of work. Because of this, I would much rather read some of the books that he based his arguments on to learn more about these methods and examples of character development, rather than read this one again.
Wonderful book. In parts it reads like a novel. Engaging, thought provoking and fascinating look at why we turn out to be who we are and knowing this, how we might become better people.
A moving book from an author/journalist/writer always worth reading or listening to.
A moving book from an author/journalist/writer always worth reading or listening to.
I enjoyed this book, but for any who plan to read it, I'd suggest reading his next one, [b:The Second Mountain|40642458|The Second Mountain|David Brooks|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1546041670s/40642458.jpg|63148886], instead. It has the spirit of this one but is, quite simply, better.
And if you want more then come back and read this one.
And if you want more then come back and read this one.