Pun

I did not expect such an honest and considerate look into our soul. A wonderful read - think - reflect book.

A comprehensive treatment of an important characteristics.

At a time when many of us, products of the 20th Century, are trying to make sense of our lives, this book comes at the perfect time. In his descriptions of major trials within historical figures from Adam, Moses and Augustine to Dwight Eisenhower, Johnny Unitis and Joe Namath, David Brooks helps us to reconcile the antagonistic, or at least disparate, forces within us in our attempts to understand and make sense of our lives. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to explore his or her own nature and how to fit in to the huge, hurly burly drama of human life. It will be with me as a reference for some time to come.

I bought this book looking for sound guidance/philosophy on improving personal character. Instead what I got was something that reads more like a sermon. It started with the Adam 1/Adam 2 referrences which narrowly attempt to describe 2 types of character within all of us. Brooks really lost me when he began referring to character flaws as “sins”. I do not subscribe to the widely accepted and deeply flawed idea that you need religion in order to have a moral compass. The book seems like a sneaky indoctrination attempt. That being said, I agree with the author on some points… namely that there is a disturbing prevalent attitude of self congratulatory narcissism in our society, and not enough humility. Ultimately a dissapointing read…don’t waste your money.

In "Just Mercy," civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson explains: "You can't understand the important things from a distance...You have to get close." "The Road to Character" feels as though it were written from a great distance. While the characters' storylines encapsulate the virtues of importance to Brooks, I was left wondering why the book was written now - of what relevance is this to Brooks? There were also some unbearably insulting passages about today's generation's values. And nostalgia for condoms sold behind the counter while cigarrettes up front? countless lives were saved by this change.

The NPR review was good. I've always enjoyed what David Brooks has to say. So I bought the book. It started out well. I recommended it to my Supervisor. Then on page 87 he needs to use vulgarity to empathize a point. ..."Character"? I want my money back

The intro is great but the rest of the book was not as I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a self help book or a look inside the author's mind. Instead, it is a compilation of short biographies. This book is better suited in the biographies section.