David Brooks is one of our most thoughtful and influential writers on American politics and the human aspiration. He is an opinion columnist for The New York Times and a regular commentator on PBS NewsHour, as well as a contributing writer for The Atlantic magazine. Early in his career, he was a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. David Brooks is the author of six books, including Bobos in Paradise, On Paradise Drive, The Social Animal, The Road to Character, The Second Mountain, and How to Know a Person. He is recognized as a voice who brings moral dimensions to commentary, connecting politics with questions of character and action. As Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote in The New Yorker, Brooks is “a writer who sees American life as a sea of souls yearning for goodness.” He is also known for the Sydney Awards, his annual selection of the year’s best magazine writing.

This is a moment of deep division in American politics and changes in the world order, as well as a time of increasing search for self-awareness by individuals. Donald Trump, in his second term, is testing institutions at home and America’s role abroad. We will begin with these questions: What story defines this moment? What stories has David Brooks pursued? And as the nation approaches its 250th birthday, what is the most important story ahead? We will discuss the news of the day, the future of America, the books and ideas of David Brooks, and what he has learned as a writer, reporter, and man of demanding curiosity.