My most recent book review for the Tampa Bay Times is The Road to Character by David Brooks. I like to watch Brooks and Mark Shields analyze the week’s news on Fridays on PBS Newshour, so I particularly enjoyed reviewing his book.
Coming from a conservative political pundit who writes columns for the New York Times, The Road to Character is not exactly what you might expect. Don’t look for mentions of the current crop of presidential candidates or hand-wringing over that terrible news on the front page of the newspaper. Instead, David Brooks has written a deeply meditative reflection on personal character and living a life of meaning. To take such a deep dive into the heart of living, Brooks turns away from contemporary society and looks to historical figures — St. Augustine, George Eliot, Dorothy Day, Dwight Eisenhower, to name just a few — for his inspiration. Read more …