The Social Animal

The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

By: David Brooks

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, 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. It is told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica—how they grow, push forward, are pulled back, fail, and succeed. Distilling a vast array of information into these two vividly realized characters, Brooks illustrates a fundamental new understanding of human nature. A scientific revolution has occurred—we have learned more about the human brain in the last thirty years than we had in the previous three thousand. The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind—not a dark, vestigial place but a creative and enchanted one, where most of the brain’s work gets done. This is the realm of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, genetic predispositions, personality traits, and social norms: the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made. The natural habitat of The Social Animal. Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to school; from the “odyssey years” that have come to define young adulthood to the high walls of poverty; from the nature of attachment, love, and commitment, to the nature of effective leadership. He reveals the deeply social aspect of our very minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. Along the way, he demolishes conventional definitions of success while looking toward a culture based on trust and humility.The Social Animal is a moving and nuanced intellectual adventure, a story of achievement and a defense of progress. Impossible to put down, 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.

©2011 David Brooks (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An uncommonly brilliant blend of sociology, intellect and allegory." (Kirkus)

“Authoritative, impressively learned, and vast in scope.” (Newsweek)

“As in [Bobos in Paradise] he shows genius in sketching archetypes and coining phrases. . . . In The Social Animal Mr. Brooks surveys a stunning amount of research and cleverly connects it to everyday experience.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Very enjoyable (w/ exception for some language)

I enjoyed the content of this book. I found the narrative engaging, with substance behind it that explains human limitations and behaviors. I was very disappointed that the "F" word had to be thrown in multiple times, presumably for emphasis. I found this offensive and can not therefore suggest this book to family members. Yet, I enjoyed learning more about human interactions.

Gripping, touching, and informative

The publisher's description of this book as "the story of how success happens . . . told through the lives of one composite American couple" turns out to be just a peculiar way of saying, "this is a novel." And it is a gripping, captivating, deeply touching novel. And instead of being a typical fictional story where characters do inexplicable things that they would never do in real life, such as throwing an giant pearl into the ocean or whatever, these characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions are explained through lengthy and fascinating discussions of the latest studies and theories of social science, which are certain to offer you, the reader, great insight into your own life and your relationships with others.

Gran disección de una experiencia humana.

La mayor parte del libro es algo increible y esclarecedor, un poco después de la mitad sigue siendo brillante, pero deja de ser tan relacionable.

Perfect synergy of science and reflection.

Mr. Brooks brings together mainstream scientific theory, flawless reflection, and laser precise observation on subject matter that encompasses us every day. I thoroughly enjoyed envisioning two peoples journey through their entire lives while having explained (in detail) how each significant moment was shaped by preceding significant moments. I particularly loved the science behind it all, how it came to be, and how it shapes us. I learned quite a bit about me and my life through the story of Erica and Harold. I am simply in awe of Mr. Brooks' ability to bring all of this fact, reflection, and observation into one beautiful work. Kudos to you sir!

A simple review cannot do justice for this book

I give this book 5 million stars. No words I write here can do justice. This book is a life changer for me. Please read this book.

Enlightening - Loved it

this book gave me a new perspective of life in a fun and entertaining way. I enjoyed every minute.

I loved this book

very good book , all starts and what is in the beginning Is usually in the end

Interesting

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I almost stopped listening in the first part because I thought the story was dull and uninspiring, but I was determined to get through it and I am very glad I did. Have patience with it. It pulls together many scientific / sociological studies into one fictional story. I have thought about it and brought it up in conversation many times since reading it.

Worth the read

The story line kept my interest and the book was highly informative.
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Great book

Great informative book, that touched me. I would recommend this book.
I am buying for my wife in paper copy. I think she will enjoy it.