pennyriley 's review for:

The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks

3.0

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I found this book a slog to get through. Although there were parts that totally engrossed me, there were as many I found repetitive or completely off-putting. His journey from Judaism to Christianity after the breakdown of his first marriage was one. Having earlier said that you were fine with any religion or none (I couldn't find the place again, so my memory could be faulty) he then presents a deeply religious life as the only way to really reaching the second mountain. Admittedly that chapter is a very autobiographical one. And those mountains; the first the material world of success and money, but not necessarily or probably fulfilment, and the second mountain, the importance of relationships and commitments to ideals as well as each other. I also found off-putting the continual references to other books, other writers, religious thinkers, philosophers, novelists, poets, etc etc ad nauseam. While of course referencing others is important this ended up feeling to me as though he was trumpeting his erudition. The overarching theme of the second mountain is compelling, but I felt the whole thing could have been a really good essay. I also suspect that second mountain is a whole lot easier to climb if unlike most of America you aren't just trying to get by.