The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David BrooksMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Ultimately the premise and the promise of David Brooks' The Social Animal is not realized. Although I was drawn to the idea of a book that elaborates on current cognitive and social scientific discoveries through a fictional family, the book left me both intellectually unsatisfied and emotionally unmoved.
I think the main problem is that the protagonists Harold and Erica are flat, indistinguishable from each other, and studied in isolation, which means that they don't meaningfully expound upon the science Brooks is presenting.
By 'studied in isolation' I mean that there is no significant exploration of the shared experience of being a married couple, part of a group of friends, a part of an extended family, or a member of an ethnic group. This is especially problematic in a book where the author's stated intent is to show how embedded we all are in social networks and emmeshed in each others lives.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment