Book Review - Social Animal

Every winter the great and the good meet in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. And every night during that week at Davos, there are constellations of parties....”

“At the molten core of the party constellation, there is always one party that form the social Holy of the Holies – where former presidents, cabinet secretaries, central bankers, global tycoons, and Angelina Jolie gather to mingle and schmooze.... The Davos social universe, like social universe everywhere, consists of rings of interesting and insecure people desperately seeking entry into the realm of the placid and self-satisfied”

You will find these scathing words  second last chapter of David Brooks’ wonderful book titled The Social Animal: The HiddenSources of Love, Character and Achievement.

In this compelling book, David Brooks tells a story of two fictional characters, Harold and Erica. Theirs is a story of emotions, intuitions, genetic predispositions and deep inner longings.

By following Harold and Erica from infancy to old age, we learn how the unconscious mind plays a big part in our lives. 

What makes this book an interesting read is that it is part a novel and part science primer.

David Brooks is a New York Times columnist as well as a commentator on PBS NewsHour. His other books are Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They GotThere (2000) and On ParadiseDrive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense (2004)