“I wrote this book not sure I could follow the road to character, but I wanted at least to know what the road looks like and how other people have trodden it.” (David Brooks)
With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous best sellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives. Responding to what he calls the culture of the Big Me, which emphasizes external success, Brooks challenges us and himself to rebalance the scales between our “résumé virtues” – achieving wealth, fame, and status – and our “eulogy virtues,” those that exist at the core of our being: kindness, bravery, honesty, faithfulness, and relationships.
Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade.
Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth.
Introspection for the thinking person (not a redundancy–read it!) This is not a self-help book though it may very well serve that same function in your life. Brooks’ very honest premise that he set out to discover the road to character as an antidote to his own charmed life is attention getting and refreshing. Rather than giving hypotheticals and next door neighbor stories, Brooks spans the globe of history and time to look at those who developed character and not just success. In other words, you get a great lesson in cultural history as a stage for…
How character is forged over a lifetime As I read this book I kept thinking of my 84 year old grandfather. I kind of felt like he was sitting at the table talking to me about the way things used to be. These types of conversations are not a bad thing at all and most of the time they seem comforting. As I read this book I kept reflecting upon my own life and where I stacked up in comparison towards humble or the center of attention seeker. What kept the book interesting was the part history lesson part character lesson based upon the…
Brave attempt to discover what is meaningful in life. I have read David Brooks’ column in my local paper for many years and have watched him on Meet the Press. He is a thoughtful and intelligent man. His new book, The Road to Character, is a brave, if not always successful, attempt to discover what is important and meaningful in a life well lived.Â