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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Glad I persisted with this book. Didn't end up being what I thought it was when I picked it up, it's more autobiographical than anything else. At the beginning he says "This book is... part of my continual effort to write my way to a better life. "
And he largely does that. And we go on that journey. And that made it suprisingly endearing.
And he largely does that. And we go on that journey. And that made it suprisingly endearing.
This book is talking about how 21 century's kind of living which is hyper-individualistic is leading us to a bad path and as a society and community, we have to think beyond ourselves and live rationally.
“The first mountain is the individualistic worldview which puts the desire of the ego at the center, the second mountain what you might call the rationalistic world view which put commitment, deep relationships and the desire of the soul and heart at the center”
It has made me think about how as a person we all want to feel belonging and purpose in life. And that is achieved by being committed to something bigger than ourselves like a vocation, marriage, etc. It is a very good read I highly recommend it!
“The first mountain is the individualistic worldview which puts the desire of the ego at the center, the second mountain what you might call the rationalistic world view which put commitment, deep relationships and the desire of the soul and heart at the center”
It has made me think about how as a person we all want to feel belonging and purpose in life. And that is achieved by being committed to something bigger than ourselves like a vocation, marriage, etc. It is a very good read I highly recommend it!
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Took me over a year and a half to get through this one, including restarting after a long pause, but I am glad I plugged away. I was really moved by all the anecdotal examples of real people redefining their life purpose. The first third was the best part and clearly presents the memorable point. After that Brooks wades off for a long time into the weeds about marriage commitment which to me seemed like a disproportionate detour not clearly enough linked to the life of selfless service. Then he finally got back to the original idea but it was a little redundant.
Reads like it was written by a better than average televangelist. Don't get me wrong: Brooks is super-organized and lucid, as usual; his writing is crisp and engaging; the flow is liberally sprinkled with just the right amount of anecdotes, pithy sayings, and illustrations. I cannot criticize the writing or the logical arrangement. But. This has all the verve and intensity of a come-to-Jesus book without the come-t0-Jesus. In addition, Brooks tells the reader the WHY of becoming more socially engaged, but the HOW is lacking.
Not for me. I like the idea of the second mountain but felt the book took a long way to explain it when it could have been a bit more concise. It also made a lot of sweeping generalizations that turned me off.
That said I’m sure some will find a lot of value in the additional stories and examples.
That said I’m sure some will find a lot of value in the additional stories and examples.
I have always appreciated elements of David Brooks's commentary. He has obviously grown over the last 20 years. For years, I ve' read his books and thought, "Yes, that makes sense but you are missing some obvious points about humanity." It seems like he has experienced more and dug more into the nitty and gritty of life. He has a much deeper connection to the people who are trying to make real differences and do this through human connection, kindness, and support. Once you make such steps you cannot help but become less theoretical and more humane. This book initially impressed me and I gave it 4 stars. I have the audio version and have relistened to the relationalist manifesto multiple times. This hits the nail on the head. I've printed it out as well to mark it up and have it handy. There is so much to this document that turns the pervasive culture of hyper-individualism on its head. It really is a template for a much better culture. We need this and it is wonderful to see that Brooks sees that now as well. I'm still going to disagree with him strongly at times but my respect for him has increased significantly.
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-relationalist-manifesto/
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-relationalist-manifesto/
David Brooks talks a big talk about the life of status-seeking he left behind on the first mountain, but he does it while name-dropping and prestige-signaling every other sentence.
Often, I would wonder why I was reading this collage of superficial anecdotes and context-poor quotations instead of the books and authors he was referencing. Sometimes, I was appalled by his choice of citation. For instance, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath are presented as a model for marital intimacy (!).
The book gets substantially better during the Spirituality section, in which he opens up and shares the story of his current marriage (a story that's conspicuously missing from the Marriage section). If nothing else, I am pleased to learn about Anne Snyder and her work, which I find much more impressive. Her quoted correspondence with Brooks is some of the only redeeming original material in the book.
Often, I would wonder why I was reading this collage of superficial anecdotes and context-poor quotations instead of the books and authors he was referencing. Sometimes, I was appalled by his choice of citation. For instance, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath are presented as a model for marital intimacy (!).
The book gets substantially better during the Spirituality section, in which he opens up and shares the story of his current marriage (a story that's conspicuously missing from the Marriage section). If nothing else, I am pleased to learn about Anne Snyder and her work, which I find much more impressive. Her quoted correspondence with Brooks is some of the only redeeming original material in the book.
Overall, I felt that this book was a great way to get introduced to the people and books that Brooks referenced. The metaphors were good yet lacking as the book went on. I have a list of books and references to look that I got from this book which I'm really excited to explore. It almost feels like a research paper.
It's not too often that you read a book that bitterly confronts you with the cold hard truth while also making you feel hopelessly optimistic for the future! A great critique on the hyper-individualist and capitalist society we live in today.