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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I read this book with my mentor as a way to explore what makes character. I am feeling a little irked at reading a book by a white man. Though I am not strictly limiting which authors I read, I want to try to seek out more books from perspectives other than that, because while he set out to say the book would be about a diverse cast of people, I think this fell short of that. I wonder what a book like this could look like if written by a Black woman or LGBTQ person.
I think there are some fleetingly interesting points made about character here that gave me brief food for thought as I think about my leadership philosophy. The struggle to balance between Adam I and Adam II = the fight for advancing half-assedly in one's career vs slowing down and living by your values and having a sense of what is right and wrong and abiding by that, treating others well, etc. I think overall this book made me a little sad and think about capitalism ruins everything. Reading this in light of the pandemic made me reflect on how much I've valued having more time at home to figure out who I am and what life pace works for me. (Yes, I'm coming from a place of privilege.) I am loathe to go back to a 40-hour workweek with commute that doesn't allow for all the other responsibilities that an adult needs to take on. I hope and wish enough people felt this way to make change and not just care about money.
I think there are some fleetingly interesting points made about character here that gave me brief food for thought as I think about my leadership philosophy. The struggle to balance between Adam I and Adam II = the fight for advancing half-assedly in one's career vs slowing down and living by your values and having a sense of what is right and wrong and abiding by that, treating others well, etc. I think overall this book made me a little sad and think about capitalism ruins everything. Reading this in light of the pandemic made me reflect on how much I've valued having more time at home to figure out who I am and what life pace works for me. (Yes, I'm coming from a place of privilege.) I am loathe to go back to a 40-hour workweek with commute that doesn't allow for all the other responsibilities that an adult needs to take on. I hope and wish enough people felt this way to make change and not just care about money.
David's ability to speak eloquently at a sustained pace that doesn't cease until the end of the last sentence, is an inspiration. Somehow he managed to string along story after story that didn't waiver for one second in their ability to capture my attention and have me fully engaged. Phenomenal quotes are a trend from beginning to end. So much insight in one little book from just a handful of stories.
I dove into this book ready to consume every last drop but found myself slow down as I realized this is a book to savor. I especially enjoyed the sections on love and how love is an essential ingredient of our character development.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, it heavily draws on religious sentiment and values but even if you are not a Christian, the wisdom is worth the read and reaches a universal level of relevance.
I dove into this book ready to consume every last drop but found myself slow down as I realized this is a book to savor. I especially enjoyed the sections on love and how love is an essential ingredient of our character development.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, it heavily draws on religious sentiment and values but even if you are not a Christian, the wisdom is worth the read and reaches a universal level of relevance.
I see the point the author is trying to make. I appreciate the mini-biographies of many vastly different human beings. However, I also feel that point of the book is lost in them along the way then shoved into the last chapter in an attempt to pull everything back together when it is too late. The book as a whole is muddled and often pretentious and preachy. I don't regret reading it, but I would not recommend it to most people either. I can think of some older conservative relatives that might enjoy it...read into that as you will.
Listed to this on audiobook and loved the analysis of character and all of the real life examples.
Very well written look at the formation of character and how the idea of character has changed over centuries and decades.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first chapter/introduction of this book, which outlined the need for strong character in today's world, as well as something of the road/path for getting there. The short biographical sketches that were included as examples of individuals with strong character seemed entirely subjective. The character traits that were explored in-depth could have been the result of intentional development or could have been the results of abuse. Brooks interprets the stories of these individuals loosely, without sufficient documentation to support his inferences.
Arranged as a series of biographical vignettes, The Road to Character highlights all the best in human nature and encourages us to live up to that highest potential. There are religious undertones which I did not appreciate but in general this is an insightful read.
A new term my duaghter taught me applies to this book, “Ok Boomer”. The past is highly romanticized and some people are biased that it was better and it definitely was not. The examples he gives are highly speculative and seem to romanticize suffering. There were some nice tips in there, but it did sound like an old person saying that rock ‘n roll is going to ruin the world, lol!
I loved this book. I will never listen to David Brooks speak in the same way! This book was moving, inspirational, heart breaking and pushed the reader to examine their own life, soul, work and relationships. And, always the sign of a great book, it has created a huge future reading list. Thank you David Brooks for bringing all these stories together in such a beautiful and moving way.