The New Honor Code

A Simple Plan for Raising Our Standards and Restoring Our Good Name

By: Grant McCracken

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Cultural anthropologist and thought leader Grant McCracken proposes a radical solution for our time of unprecedented scandal: a return to honor.

What used to be shocking has somehow become the new normal. Sexual predators stalk interns at work. Parents try to buy a place for their kids in college. Leaders compromise morals for political advantage. It happens so frequently that we can no longer dismiss these cases as a few bad apples. Something in the system is rotten.

How can someone get ahead and be successful in our modern culture without compromising their morality? What makes a good man or woman in this era of scandal?

Respected cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken has the answer: a return to the ancient idea of honor. By looking at examples of honor and dishonor in popular culture and at institutions as diverse as Harvard, PBS, and Wells Fargo, he lays out not just how we got to where we are, but practical guidelines for how leaders and individuals can restore moral order to their organizations and personal lives.

Grant takes on topics like masculinity and gender roles, as well as classism and elitist attitudes. Celebrities and corporate leaders get knocked down to size while exploring just why their lack of honor can be harmful or dangerous.

New Honor Code is a sharp and insightful guide to what honor truly is, and how to incorporate it into your life.

Exactly what the title says

I’ve struggled with this review for a while, because the title is 100% accurate, but it feels like the author has done some kind of bait and switch anyway. The author looks at honor in the traditional meaning as if he’s from an alien culture that doesn’t quite get it. So, he writes his own rules that amount to “be an adult”. Along the way he takes a high level sidebar to explain why the destruction of the culture that created traditional honor was necessary, but then insists it needs to be reinstated because without it, people won’t do good things. He then defines honor between people as a zero sum game, so that giving honor is taking away from yourself. He pretty much ignores internal honor, which is traditionally the only place it resides. He also eliminates humility as a component of honor, because you have to be able to brag about it. As a result, he does define a new honor code, it just doesn’t have anything to do with actual honor. If you are looking for a book to help you define an honor code, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a book to give you a justification for being selfish and a braggart, this is it. Also, be prepared, the continual pronunciation of “HONOR” with its breathy implications of glory will be like nails on a chalkboard after about page 2.

Just okay.

A few interesting thought mixed in either a mostly mundane narrative devoid of supporting evidence. Voice actor performance is a bit cliche and not very conversational, but fairly well performed.