Oreo Book Club: The Road to Character by David Brooks

Our book club met at the home of Mary Crowl to review her recommendation, The Road to Character by David Brooks.
Brooks found many of Americans concern were with material things and accomplishments that would look good on a resume, but not in an obituary. He said making life easy was the way children were raised, but was not the way to acquire character.
He recommended being humble, following a vocation rather than career, and wearing a hair shirt among other things. The discussion in the group cited that character was as much from nature (i.e. genes) as from nurture (the broad culture and the family culture). Personal and personally known examples were cited. It was agreed that Brooks was a good writer and thoughtful, but not always correct in his direction. The next meeting will be at the home of Norton Schwartz, who will lead the discussion on Gods Bankers by Gerald Posner that covers misdeeds by the Vatican during World War II and thereafter.
—Norton Schwartz