The Social Animal by David Brooks

Half-way between fiction and non-fiction, David Brooks invents an imaginary couple who go through life's various stages while exemplifying psycho-social development in contemporary America. Philosophical, cultural, and intellectual aspects of our society are portrayed with the support of fascinating sociological research and data. The husband's job as a think-tank analyst of public policy leads to broad reflections on political values in America, but the book itself is not particularly political. It is very well written in a way makes the reader feel he is being informed while reading a novel.