The Social Animal The Social Animal

The Social Animal

The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

    • 4.0 • 598 Ratings
    • $13.99

Publisher Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

With unequaled insight and brio, New York Times columnist David Brooks has long explored and explained the way we live. Now Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life. This is the story of how success happens, told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica. Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to old age, illustrating a fundamental new understanding of human nature along the way: The unconscious mind, it turns out, is not a dark, vestigial place, but a creative one, where most of the brain’s work gets done. This is the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made—the natural habitat of The Social Animal. Brooks reveals the deeply social aspect of our minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. He demolishes conventional definitions of success and looks toward a culture based on trust and humility. The Social Animal is a moving intellectual adventure, a story of achievement and a defense of progress. It is an essential book for our time—one that will have broad social impact and will change the way we see ourselves and the world.

GENRE
Nonfiction
RELEASED
2011
March 8
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
448
Pages
PUBLISHER
Random House Publishing Group
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
8.2
MB

Customer Reviews

mamaCLC ,

Less bark, more bite, please.

There is no arguing that David Brooks has an extensively researched book here. It is both fascinating and insightful, however there are large sections of loooong, verbose story that does nothing but bore and adds no impotant information to the characters or studies. With a machete, I hack through these to find the treasures and relevant information I've been yearning for. Good book, but could be much better with less bark and more bite. Where was the editor?

golovashkina ,

Mr. Brooks

I still don't know how I feel about Mr. Brooks, the man behind the in-your-face Republican Op-Ed column in the New York Times. Being a Democrat, I posses a skewed desire to identify and critique his attempts to use his column to push forth his own political agenda. Being a Democrat, I have an unconscious desire to associate myself with Democrats like Gail Collins and disassociate myself from Republicans like Mr. Brooks. Despite all of these unconscious prejudices, constant desires to shriek "Eureka - I have spotted his political agenda!," and affirm my own biases about Mr. Brooks, I cannot help but admit - no, proclaim:

This book is brilliant.

In a word, it is incredible. In another: Illuminating. Life-changing. Brooks combines the life-defining scientific findings of our era to craft the fictional, science-shaped tale of Harold and Erica from Harold's parents' first date to the end of Harold and Erica's lives. It's all relatable because it's all set in the present tense. Brooks' proves that he can jump from romance to parenting, elite to impoverished, classroom to living room, college to job hopping, work to worldview, leadership to persuasion, politics to people, and even (gulp!) Republicans to Democrats... without a flinch. The all-present construct is brilliant; the depth of exploration is unbiased and intriguing; the point - that we are social animals who must stop socialize to survive - life-changing. Brooks' book has taught me to appreciate the beauty of the unconscious.

Unlike Brooks' Op-Ed columns, The Social Animal doesn't have a political agenda - it just has a life agenda.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read.

LoadXenon ,

This will taunt And Joy

This will so put your social hoarding and acumen to the test. Possibly at any level. It’s empowered me on the biggest part of media confidence and sociology. Bringing in creative talks, idea generation about values vs what’s being used by someone else’s class. It’s always a go too bible for a apple fan or someone always typing and sharing and listing new things on social media and their mobile Phones.

This is somewhere a challenging read since from the time of purchase was self driven by a need to understand how to socialize as an introvert. Using social media and messaging and internet communications. David Brooks Social Animal taunts you and puts you out there in a pretty good pedestal and says it’s okay to be socially challenging and annoying at some other points. Celebrity and creative people alike would also benefit from this book. Especially when seeking to gain more traction in understanding how people socialize and sustain social momentum.

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