News & Opinion · Sally Haldorson ·

A new inBubbleWrap giveaway: The Social Animal

by Sally Haldorson
The Social Animal is, in part, a book about success--what really drives us toward the superficial accomplishments we tout, where ambition stems from--, but more so it looks at the human experience from numerous perspectives: sociological, neurological, philosophical, anecdotal. He ponders rich questions about how our character is built and evolves, why we remain our own deepest mystery. Brooks succeeds in winding many threads together into a tight braid of story, research, and reflection, with humor and insight.
The Social Animal is, in part, a book about success--what really drives us toward the superficial accomplishments we tout, where ambition stems from--, but more so it looks at the human experience from numerous perspectives: sociological, neurological, philosophical, anecdotal. He ponders rich questions about how our character is built and evolves, why we remain our own deepest mystery. Brooks succeeds in winding many threads together into a tight braid of story, research, and reflection, with humor and insight. What can lead to success? Why do we strive to eliminate the social, making it inferior to the rational? Should we instead look toward our relationships, using our social interactions to guide our moral action? The book itself takes a different tact than most popular research-and-observation books like those bestsellers by Gladwell and Ariely. Brooks creates two fictional characters, a married couple from two very different backgrounds, to actually live out--from childhood to death--the research and subsequent deductions he wants to reveal. As Erica and Harold's story spools out, Brooks digs into multiple veins of what makes up a human life: learning and teaching, striving and failing, loving and forgetting. The Social Animal will not only have you reeling in reaction to the depth and breadth of the inner mind, but it will also make you call home and tell the person you love that you love them. Read (much!) more about The Social Animal and sign up to win by visiting inBubbleWrap this week!
Back to News & Opinion

Related Posts