The Social Animal

The Social Animal:The Hidden Source of Love, Character, and AchievementBy David Brooks
Random House, 2011. 424 pgs. Nonfiction

The author’s goal in The Social Animal is to illustrate the path to success for humans in our current society. This is done by telling the stories of an American couple. Readers are given a glimpse into each stage of life from being a mere twinkle in their parents’ eyes to saying a final farewell to loved ones. Their stories are interspersed with fascinating studies and scientific findings that shed further light on how each of us function, learn, grow, and achieve.

The Social Animal was extremely readable. Writing about the science of our mental development and achievement in a biographical style makes it very approachable. However, at the end, I did not feel that the author had accomplished his proposed goal. I was entertained and I learned some really fascinating tidbits (like how men can confuse an adrenaline rush with a romantic attraction…great stuff!!), but couching the information in a story resulted in more conjecture than I had expected.

CZ