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The Second Mountain
- How People Move from the Prison of Self to the Joy of Commitment
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Number-one New York Times best seller
Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The best-selling author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world.
Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy - who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view...unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn’t my mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain. And so they embark on a new journey.
On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment.
In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.
In short, this audiobook is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme - and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks reveals what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.
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What listeners say about The Second Mountain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Adam Shields
- 05-07-19
Pursue meaning, reject hyper-individualism
I was somewhat reluctant to pick The Second Mountain up. I watched several interviews with him and many those interviews were interesting, but they seemed like they were talking about a couple different books, they range from personal self help book, to ‘an extended graduation speech’, to a version of Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward. Having finished the book, I understand all of those descriptions, but none of them were quite right. And while I am glad I read the book, I do think that is part of the problem of the book.
I was also reluctant because while I generally liked his last book Road to Charater, I thought there were significant weaknesses with the book and I did not want to relive a ‘do better’ encouragement book. Once I decided to pick up The Second Mountain, I was pleased that he offered an apology for the weaknesses of the The Road to Character that roughly addressed my issues.
There are many great quotes in The Second Mountain. They are often even better in full context than as stand alone quotes. Like, “Happiness can be tasted alone, but permanent joy requires an enmeshed and embedded life.” He riffs off of CS Lewis’ and others distinction between happiness and joy. The whole book is really about pursuing joy and the other deeper things in life and not just happiness and the other fleeting things in life. It is not that the fleeting things are unimportant, but that they are not fulfilling.
The book is really in two parts. The first part is making his argument for this concept of the Second Mountain. The first mountain is success in life while the second mountain is the pursuit of meaning. If you have read Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward it is a similar, but not exactly similar point.The second part is the four commitments that lead to the Second Mountain, but also are those things that fight against the hyper-individualism that is really the underlying theme of the book. The four commitments are to Vocation, Marriage, Faith (or philosophy) and Community.
Throughout the book Brooks uses his own story as an example, certainly not the only example, but an example both of why pursuit of the second mountain is needed, but also of how he has done it. This isn’t a memoir, and it isn’t intended to be a memoir. But I think many of the problems of the book I think are that is isn’t a memoir.
The section on the commitment to faith is an explicit testimony of his conversion to Christianity. This is a book written for a secular audience primarily. And I think he hits on this section exactly right. It is his story of coming to Christianity, not an apologetic argument (really an argument against the way that apologetics is often used), but a story similar to Francis Spufford’s take on faith in Unappologetic. Brooks is really making an argument not for Christianity in particular, but for the role of faith, or a philosophy of living, in general as a means to pull people into community. So this will not make everyone happy that wants him to give a full throated argument for Christianity. His point here is to show that in his life, Christianity has been what has pulled him toward the second mountain. (But also he explicitly says he is not leaving his Judaism behind, in some ways he feels more Jewish now because that is also part of his faith commitment that pulls him toward the second mountain.)
The problem with The Second Mountain is that I think it is trying to do way too much. Parts of it really do read like an extended commencement address. Other parts read like a book you give to someone that is facing a midlife crisis. And there are other parts that are straight self help and verge on the etherial 'do better' advice. And while much of the advice in the marriage section really is very good marriage advice, it is marriage advice from a recently divorce and remarried man.
Part of my problem with the book is that it feels like a 'recent convert' book. Not just the parts about Christianity (in fact the Christianity parts are probably where he sounds least like a new convert). The book as a whole is focusing on helping people focus on maturity. I am all for focusing on maturity. But the focusing on maturity is what he sounds like he has recently converted to. The book as a whole is a response to a personal breakdown about five years ago and his struggle back to health. While there is much good here, and I am saying that seriously, there really is much good here, it feels to me like he wrote this 5-10 years too soon.
I know that we all are impatient. We want to both learn quickly, skip steps, and get the silver bullet. Brooks is arguing that we can’t skip the important parts. We have to invest in community, family, faith and work for the long haul. It is in the long haul that maturity comes. The good of the book affirms that long term, slow, don’t skip steps, invest deeply, not widely, focus. But the book is also written only a few years after he had this insight and it feels too soon.At the end of the book, when he is trying to distill the whole book down to a short manifesto, it was interesting that in more than a couple of ways, Brooks was saying very similar things to what Jonathan Walton was saying in 12 Lies That Hold America Captive, including the difference between conditional and unconditional love. Our society is currently focused on the conditional. I am not going to recount the ways that they go together, but the two books which are about fundamentally different issues, have remarkably similar conclusions.
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This doesn’t really fit anywhere else, but In an interview with Collin Hansen on The Gospel Coalition podcast, Brooks makes a distinction between community and tribalism that I think is helpful, although not part of the common definition. He said that community is built around loving something in common and he contrasted that with tribalism that is build around the hatred or opposition to a thing or person or idea.
90 people found this helpful
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- Joey Caster
- 04-23-19
So close to 5 star
Only thing holding this book back from being five stars is There is a part in this book about marriage that lasted far far too long. If you can get past that part this is an excellent book.
19 people found this helpful
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- Rachel F
- 04-22-19
Ethical will - solid suggestions
Reads like an ethical will. Excited to see if any of the concepts and points take shape in our american society and looking forward to making changes within myself which align with the moral suggestions found herein.
12 people found this helpful
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- Elaina
- 08-07-19
Mixed 80/20 - liked/disliked- overall helpful
Overall I enjoyed the thoughts that the author had to share, even though at times they seemed to lack cohesion toward the overall topic. He certainly has a wealth of good food for thought for anyone at a crossroads in their life, but I can also see this book would be helpful for a curious younger person who has the maturity to consider how their future might play out.
I thought the narrator did a good job but to me, his voice sounded like an elderly man and so, at some points, the text sounded rather critical than inspiring. Perhaps a younger, more upbeat voice would’ve made the message more uplifting/enticing instead of sounding scolding
10 people found this helpful
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- Cheryl Smith
- 05-04-20
Life changing
This book was life changing, and has specifically inspired me to do more. At the ripe old age of 61, and in the midst of a global pandemic, I am already reaching out to do more for my community. Thank you, David Brooks.
9 people found this helpful
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- Joseph
- 08-12-19
Good, but too preachy at points.
Overall very well written, but simply too preachy at times, and it certainly could have been shorter and made all the same points.
The idea, however, of a life lived for and about others, is worth emphasizing over and over.
8 people found this helpful
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- Quan Young
- 06-19-21
Promotes religious ideology, one sided at its best
First of all, the book has some really good message, not all parts is poor.
However, the author implies one should believe in religion (Christian) and specifically the bible without questioning.
The fact that even religious scholars can tell you, the bible as it is today is written account of orally transmitted stories , retranslated and reinterpreted many many times and its applications have been used by millions to justify slavery as well as ending slavery, or for killing non believers as well as ending capital punishments, most of its early years being the former.
While I listened through this book thinking at some point the author would help me reinforce my moral values, I end up more convinced now how truly morally blind religious people can be, just take the author‘s position and personal commitment. The author specifically promotes christianity and the bible specifically without questioning.
I am not perfect, ever learning how foolish I once was a day or ten years before. But blindly take a book written down from stories orally told over hundreds of years, written down and translated by people having their own agendas, enforced by more people who can be just as corrupt as any of your neighbors, is at least as questionable as my own values.
I realize it is easier to criticize than to illuminate. However, I feel the position of the author could be used to reinforce some religious (christian) zealots‘ bigoted positions on many complex issues important for human development. That of course, would lead to the opposite of what one would surmise, what Jesus would support. If the book‘s premise, is that one should believe in religion blindly to demonstrate faith and commitment to God, this book had an opposite effect on me.
4 people found this helpful
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- cope williams
- 06-29-21
Religious undertones if your into that sort of thing
I tried 3 times times to get into this book. But the idealism and religious undertones were to much for me. A kind of flowery language without saying anything of consequence. I imagine some would enjoy it but I couldn’t read a chapter without pausing and having a one sided mock argument with the author.
3 people found this helpful
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- tim vogel
- 08-17-19
Seemingly confusing but so is life
This story has a lot of moving parts. Author wrote his best work. I read most of NYT opinion, mostly find them helpful in understanding life. This book takes my understanding to a new level. I purchased a couple books of recommended as I was reading this one. I take that as a compliment to author. He synthesizes a lot of people’s work and quotes them often. Because of this I will have to read book again.
As a 73 yo male I appreciate his use of genders throughout the work. It helps to make the work accessible. Both my sister and my wife loved the book.
3 people found this helpful
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- Susan
- 08-02-19
Powerful Book!
This book is definitely worth a read. David Brooks has compiled an insightful group of thoughts that are worth pondering.
3 people found this helpful
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If you are going to care for someone, you must first understand them. If you’re going to hire, marry, or befriend someone, you have to be able to see them. If you are going to work closely with someone, you have to be able to make them feel recognized and valued. As David Brooks observes, “The older I get, the more I come to the certainty that there is one skill at the center of any healthy family, company, classroom, community or nation: the ability to see each other, to know other people, to make them feel valued, heard and understood.”
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Looking to some of the world's greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint.
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Rich, textured stories
- By MarkM on 05-25-15
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The Social Animal
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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.
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Finally!
- By Pamela Harvey on 03-13-11
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Bobos in Paradise
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It used to be pretty easy to distinguish between the bourgeois world of capitalism and the bohemian counterculture. The bourgeois worked for corporations, wore gray, and went to church. The bohemians were artists and intellectuals. Bohemians championed the values of the liberated 1960s; the bourgeois were the enterprising yuppies of the 1980s.
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A magazine article stretched to book length
- By Brian on 08-17-03
By: David Brooks
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The Denial of Death
- By: Ernest Becker
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the "why" of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie: man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. In doing so, he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates more than 30 years after its writing.
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Not for the closed-minded
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The Elephant in the Brain
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Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus, we don't like to talk, or even think, about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain".
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Let Me Save You the Credit
- By Evert on 03-16-19
By: Kevin Simler, and others
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How to Know a Person
- The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
- By: David Brooks
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you are going to care for someone, you must first understand them. If you’re going to hire, marry, or befriend someone, you have to be able to see them. If you are going to work closely with someone, you have to be able to make them feel recognized and valued. As David Brooks observes, “The older I get, the more I come to the certainty that there is one skill at the center of any healthy family, company, classroom, community or nation: the ability to see each other, to know other people, to make them feel valued, heard and understood.”
By: David Brooks
-
The Road to Character
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, David Brooks
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Looking to some of the world's greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint.
-
-
Rich, textured stories
- By MarkM on 05-25-15
By: David Brooks
-
The Social Animal
- The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Finally!
- By Pamela Harvey on 03-13-11
By: David Brooks
-
Bobos in Paradise
- The New Upper Class and How They Got There
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: David Brooks
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It used to be pretty easy to distinguish between the bourgeois world of capitalism and the bohemian counterculture. The bourgeois worked for corporations, wore gray, and went to church. The bohemians were artists and intellectuals. Bohemians championed the values of the liberated 1960s; the bourgeois were the enterprising yuppies of the 1980s.
-
-
A magazine article stretched to book length
- By Brian on 08-17-03
By: David Brooks
-
The Denial of Death
- By: Ernest Becker
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the "why" of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie: man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. In doing so, he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates more than 30 years after its writing.
-
-
Not for the closed-minded
- By Yhatze on 05-27-17
By: Ernest Becker
-
The Elephant in the Brain
- Hidden Motives in Everyday Life
- By: Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus, we don't like to talk, or even think, about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain".
-
-
Let Me Save You the Credit
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By: Kevin Simler, and others
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The Tyranny of Pop Economics
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The Blank Slate
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Don't bother. Outdated science & poor logic...
- By ejf211 on 03-31-10
By: Steven Pinker
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So Good They Can't Ignore You
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- By: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Dave Mallow
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- Unabridged
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In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice. Not only is the cliché flawed - preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work - but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping. After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do.
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Become a craftsman
- By A. Yoshida on 07-19-17
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Summary & Analysis of The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
- A Guide to the Book by David Brooks
- By: ZIP Reads
- Narrated by: Michael London Anglado
- Length: 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Please note: This is a summary and analysis of the book and not the original book. In The Second Mountain, political commentator and author David Brooks explains how individuals and societies can transition from selfish individualism to a focus on community. He believes that to achieve solidarity, wholeness and true happiness, we must shift our character from the hyper-individualistic first mountain to the more relational second mountain.
By: ZIP Reads
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Summary, Analysis & Review of Christopher H. Achen's & Larry M. Bartels's Democracy for Realists by Instaread
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- Narrated by: Dwight Equitz
- Length: 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government offers a critique of conventional wisdom surrounding popular theories of democracy. Authors Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels argue that the public, journalists, and political scientists rely on a group of common-sense understandings of democracy. The authors collectively refer to these beliefs as the "folk theory" of democracy.
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Nice summary
- By Kalan on 02-26-23
By: Instaread
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David Brooks' The Road to Character - Summary & Analysis
- By: Ant Hive Media
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- Length: 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The Road to Character by David Brooks tackles cultural and personal morals and how these have evolved over time. Some virtues, which were regarded as poor and unacceptable, are now widely accepted. In the end, despite the degradation of morality, there is still a way to redeem oneself and develop a character which rises above whatever material possessions one can have on earth.
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A good read
- By Harry on 02-28-18
By: Ant Hive Media
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From Strength to Strength
- Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
- By: Arthur C. Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur C. Brooks
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach.
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A self-help book for overeducated overachievers
- By 11104 on 02-23-22
By: Arthur C. Brooks