Structure

The Second Mountain has five parts plus an Introduction. Both the Introduction and the first Part, The Two Mountains, explain the metaphor of “the Second Mountain.” The last four parts are sequenced to follow the chronology of the author’s life as well as the trajectory most readers might experience: - that is, issues of Vocation, Marriage, Philosophy and Faith, and Community.

The organization and structure of The Second Mountain are effective because the reader is introduced to the main concepts at the beginning of the book and then the reader is schooled in the application of these concepts to specific domains in the Parts that follow.

In the Introduction and Part I, Brooks initiates the reader into his idea of two main phases of life which he refers to as Mountains. The First Mountain focuses on self and achievement in response to a hyper-individualistic culture. This...