Quotes from book

The Social Animal

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement is a non-fiction book by American journalist David Brooks, who is otherwise best known for his career with The New York Times. The book discusses what drives individual behavior and decision making. Brooks goes through various academic topics such as sociology, psychology, and biology and attempts to summarize various discoveries— such as brain development in early life. The book continually refers to two fictional characters 'Harold' and 'Erica', used by Brooks as examples of how people's emotional personality changes over time.The book has been a commercial success at least initially. It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It reached the No. 3 spot on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers list for non-fiction . The book has received a wide variety of reviews. Criticism came from Forbes.com, Salon.com, and The New York Times Book Review, while praise came from The Washington Times, Newsweek, and Kirkus Reviews. The book is also a favorite of the former British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader, David Cameron.