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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Excellent, thought-provoking analysis of the meaning of character and how it has changed. Mr. Brooks uses examples from history, some well-known, other not as much, to make his case. All the examples were flawed but were not defined by their weaknesses. This book inspires, encourages, and challenges us as individuals and as a society to be better.
This was an alright read for that it offers a different view in the self-help genre. More of an anti-self help book. It had some great passages and interesting case studies. I'll be picking up a George Eliot soon! But it does have a few too many religious overtones for me and the Eisenhower chapter was hard to maintain interest and accept what Brooks was saying.
Can't help but feel a bitter taste when after slogging through this book which encourages us to do away with the self-aggrandizing and posturing we are guilty of in the 21st century, his bio reads like a resume attaching himself to well known institutions and media outlets.
He should probably read his book one more time.
Can't help but feel a bitter taste when after slogging through this book which encourages us to do away with the self-aggrandizing and posturing we are guilty of in the 21st century, his bio reads like a resume attaching himself to well known institutions and media outlets.
He should probably read his book one more time.
While the stories out forth by David Brooks are compelling and insight, I felt a strong longing for greater discussion on the role of character within our moral lives. More specifically, how one can foster such character in a daily setting.
In the beginning, I was prepared to write it off as a "your generations sucks" nagging narrative, but there is something deeper and interesting at hand. Brooks has a talent for making the stories of the people he portrays leap off the page and materialize as living and breathing human beings. I saw some of my own predispositions and struggles in these figures. He also had an interesting way of asserting arguments amidst the lives he wrote about, with each of those lives bringing in a different complex layer to his argument. The best quality of the book is that is synthesizes many different philosophical and moral ideas in a compelling manner, inspiring the reader to consider pursuing this road of character. Ultimately, I found his argument compelling: One has to actively cultivate character by unflinchingly looking at the worst parts of ourselves and undergoing a journey to purge our vices and strengthen our virtues. One word of warning for the casual reader is that this is a profoundly religious book. If you are steeped in the Christian tradition, this will be a familiar and welcome book, but if you are not, the frequent references to religion, God, and the general Christian ethos might be irksome.
پراکنده خوندمش
متاسفانه بخشهای بیوگرافی خیلی خسته کننده بود،در کل این سبک کتابها که با قاطعیت بهترین راه سعادت رو نوشن میدن دوست ندارم
متاسفانه بخشهای بیوگرافی خیلی خسته کننده بود،در کل این سبک کتابها که با قاطعیت بهترین راه سعادت رو نوشن میدن دوست ندارم
Brooks starts off well, with a decently stated agenda of defining what constitutes a deep character, and then proceeds to teach by example. Unfortunately, as the book goes on, the examples get diffuse and the agenda Augustinian. Being a Stoic, I have always believed in things like controlling your behavior and developing your understanding as the basis for character. Those traits are there, but eventually overshadowed by an excessive emphasis on humility and a diffuse tendency toward self distrust. I learned a lot from the first few chapters, but I bogged down repeatedly during the last half of the book.
I really wanted to enjoy this book but I would struggle to recommend it. Books about character are essentially collections of biographies, and Brooks has certainly done his homework on the people he discusses, but the writing is dry and staccato: this thing happened. And then another thing happened.
The book starts with an interesting look at the supposed rise of narcissism and introduces an interesting distinction between Adam I and Adam II values, but the chapters on individuals seemed to plod on at a snail's pace. To me, it really wasn't clear what the point of all of it was in the end.
Unfortunately the book has a heavy religious undertone, which really grated on me personally.
The book starts with an interesting look at the supposed rise of narcissism and introduces an interesting distinction between Adam I and Adam II values, but the chapters on individuals seemed to plod on at a snail's pace. To me, it really wasn't clear what the point of all of it was in the end.
Unfortunately the book has a heavy religious undertone, which really grated on me personally.
This book took awhile to get through as it’s more of a series of vignettes profiling various people and their lives and doesn’t necessarily have a great flow. Still think overall David Brooks does a pretty effective job of compiling an overall message, and he remains one of my favorite cultural commentators