The Second Mountain, The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks
The Second Mountain is a worthy read, if you can get past the cliché of a middle-aged man who experiences a life-changing epiphany on the back of a midlife crisis. The fact that Brooks’ journey to personal fulfillment also meant divorcing his wife of twenty-seven years and, after a decent interval, marrying his research assistant, thirty years his junior, makes his reflections even tougher to swallow.
Well, let it go, as I did, because Brooks is an engaging and erudite writer. Finding a life of meaning and purpose is a noble goal at any time of life, and all stereotyping aside, Brooks genuinely grapples with the big issues.
A bit pretentious but thought provoking.
What Other Reviewers Say
Bacon on the Bookshelf: Click here for a link to my friend Mary Raymond’s thoughtful review.
Who Wrote It
David Brooks is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. He is the bestselling author of several books including The Road to Character; The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement; Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There.
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