Lessons from A Man In Full

Tom Wolfe’s A Man in Full is a wonderful read, and not just because it is set in Atlanta, a city I’m very very familiar with, at least geographically, if not socio-culturally.

There are a few nuggets of wisdom in the book which gave me extra energy and a spring in my step after I read them.

1. Charisma comes from being like everyone else, not from being different - the mayor of Atlanta is a black elite. He went to Morehouse and deploys a strong sense of irony in everything he says. Yet, he says his charisma stems from being a fellow black man from south Atlanta. This is especially poignant to me as a recent returnee to India. I’m not yet able to shed my “Western” skin and join in the joie de vivre of Indian society.

2. You have to have a certain current around you to attract people to yourself - when the main character’s ex-wife throws herself a pity party, her friend challenges to get out of her funk by buying a $20,000 table at a High Museum gala just to create a current. It’s true - no one wants to hang out with a whiner or a bore. Get over yourself and build that eddy, that vibration around yourself. Again, note to self - do this instead of sitting on your ass and hoping to get invited to the ball.

In addition to these nuggets, the book covers a lot of Stoic philosophy - some of it as Deus Ex Machina. It feels too good to be true at times but overall, the book is a good potboiler to reenergize yourself if you find yourself in a funk.