This very popular book was published in the late 1970s. It became a national bestseller in 1984 after the author went on TV and radio talking about how he came to write the book. Fifty years later, we live in a world with fewer readers, but the book promotional tour is part of being an author. Every author does it.
I started to read this book in the 1990s. I don't remember why, but I dropped it after 30 pages. It sat on my shelf for a couple of decades, then in the big clean up I did at age 65, it was gone. This year I talked about the book with my friend Cliff, got a copy and tired again.
It's funny to think I finished the book now and dropped in 25 years ago. I still agree with his central premises: we have to accept suffering and death to live a happy life. Peck is right. But 25 years ago, I embraced suffering as a potential good. Now I accept suffering as part of life--and hope I do not have to do too much of it. Death is now the same--I am not looking for it, but accept it as the most definite part of my physical future.
I enjoyed the book. His case studies are interesting. I would recommend it to anyone. Next I will read his book People of the Lie. After explaining why it is difficult to lead a good life in The Road Less Traveled, Peck discusses the existence of evil in his next book. From ordinary assholes to extraordinary tyrants and sociopaths, Peck has a lot to work with on the topic of evil.
First 31 books of 2022:
Cochrane by David Cordingly
QED by Richard Feynman
Spirits in Bondage by C.S. Lewis
Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis
The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler by David I. Kertzer
The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Hannah Arendt
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton
If This Isn't Nice, What Is? by Kurt Vonnegut
The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry S. Strauss.
Civil Rights Baby by Nita Wiggins
Lecture's on Kant's Political Philosophy by Hannah Arendt
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay
First Principles by Thomas Ricks
Political Tribes by Amy Chua
Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen
A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew Knoll
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
Understanding Beliefs by Nils Nilsson
1776 by David McCullough
The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt
Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson
How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss
Unflattening by Nick Sousanis
Marie Curie by Agnieszka Biskup (en francais)
The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche
Fritz Haber, Volume 1 by David Vandermeulen
