by David Brooks
First published 2001
David Brooks introduces the Bobo, his term for a new American upper class that merges bourgeois capitalism with bohemian counterculture values. These affluent professionals reject flashy media centers as vulgar while embracing expensive slate shower stalls as spiritually authentic. They work at software companies where employees wear hiking boots and glacier glasses to the office, preparing for imaginary alpine adventures. Brooks explores how this hybrid lifestyle shapes modern culture in the information age. Through witty observation, he reveals the contradictions of people who want both material success and countercultural credibility. The book examines how Bobos justify their consumption choices through appeals to nature, authenticity, and spiritual values while maintaining their privileged economic position. Brooks shows how this group has created new cultural norms that influence everything from home design to workplace culture, defining what it means to be successful in contemporary America.
Genres: business, american, sociology, non-fiction, 21st-century, cultural-studies
Vibes: observant, thought-provoking, witty
Tropes: cultural-critique, social-commentary
Period: 21st Century
284 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster