Review 2025.02.004
Reviewers Note: It is the beginning of 2025 and one of the skills I desire to grow in is that of writing book reviews (having never done this before). I am doing this so I can better hone my writing (and reading) skills as I seek to think more critically about the books I am reading. I am sharing on Goodreads for my own personal development. I know this will be something I am always growing in so if you actually read these, please be patient with me as I develop this skill. I will also receive constructive criticism if you desire to help me become a better writer (and reader). I plan to use this disclaimer for the entire 2025 year.
How To Know A Person by David Brooks
304 Pages
This is the third book I have read by David Brooks. I also read “The Road to Character” and “The Second Mountain”. This one was probably the easiest read. Not to say the others were difficult because they were not but this one flowed better for me than the other two.
One of my favorite things about the author is how the books I’ve read are really just his journey and his story to becoming the person he wants to become while helping you become a better person too. He does not claim to be perfect, far from it, and so he shares both successes and failures. As an example, he talks about being a journalist and how he doesn’t always connect with the people across the table from him as he would like (both personally and professionally). You would think that a journalist with his experience would be able to do this easily and yet he falls short sometimes. He knows he needs to grow so he takes us on this trip with him.
He breaks the book into three parts.
- I See You
- I See You In Your Struggles
- I See You With Your Strengths
To know someone, we have to truly see them and their story. Every person’s story is unique and filled with struggles and strengths. So we have to ask the right questions and listen. I believe I have been on a similar journey since I was redeemed (became a Christ follower) and it is a completely different life than I had before. People are really quite amazing and their stories on how they got to where they are always enjoyable to hear.
Mr. Brooks shares many stories in the book. In chapter five, he tells a story of a couple who were vacationing in Sri Lanka in December of 2004. They decided to break up and ended up canceling their scuba diving lesson. This was quite fortuitous because that same day a tsunami hit Sri Lanka and their lives were spared. As he walked through this couple’s story and the aftermath of the tsunami, I was moved to tears. I had not expected to cry in the book but it was so well written I could feel the emotions myself (yes, fine, I do cry easily). All the stories throughout the book were good but that was my favorite.
In the previous two books I read by this author, I had a handful of highlights but surprisingly I did not highlight anything in this book. I was trying to determine if this had any bearing on the quality of the book. I do not think it does. Even though I know this book is not for everyone, I can recommend it.