Reading Break

Spring 2011 was looked forward to for two reasons.  First, it was to be spent in Cabo, Mexico.  Second, I finally had some free time to do some reading that didn't include PDFs or textbooks.  I read two books that upon first look seem completely different; "The Social Animal" by David Brooks and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

I started with Brooks, and found his book excellent.  It explored the inner workings of human beings and where they get their characteristics.  It was one of the most interesting books I have ever read.  It dug deeper than that, however; it dealt with why poverty exists in our society, how and why we fall in love, and even what gives us our politic ideals.  He even mentioned Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone" (despite this being "free" reading, I still couldn't escape every aspect of school!) I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in sociology and wanting to dig into the human psyche.

Ayn Rand came next, and I've never been so sucked into a book before.  Despite being quite hefty, I found myself speeding through it, and I think a big part of why that was was because I agreed with nearly every idea Rand wove into the plot.  Her small-government, free market, capitalist ideals are something I share with her, and to read a book devoted to those ideas was great.  Now, I didn't agree with everything, and am not sure how I feel about Objectivism, her philosophy, but I can say she's one of the best authors I've ever read.

Brooks focused on how humans work; I could almost apply most of his ideas to the actions of the characters in Rand's classic.  This speaks more to Brooks' work than Rand's, though there is no doubt of the important contribution Rand has made to literature.  I find Brooks' piece to be incredibly insightful and intelligent, and a must read for anyone with a marginal interest in human nature.