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erika_17 's review for:
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
Struggling with whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. The underlying message - "The mental space [and I would add time spent in life] that was once occupied by moral struggle has gradually become occupied by the struggle to achieve" - is a much needed message, along with the comparison of Adam I and Adam II in a meritocracy. There are some troubling aspects, especially in the early chapters, among them an overemphasis on the merits of struggling - not addressing the problem that suffering can break people as well as build character. There is also a hint of "things were better then" in some of the mini-biographies, especially in reference to over-praising children and in the lauding of the quality of self-effacement (which he ties to the admirable quality of humility, but can also lead to oppression and humiliation). However, those last two troublesome areas are addressed nicely in the final chapters. Overall, there were more engaging and thought-provoking parts than troublesome. So, make sure to read through to the end - it's well worth it.