This book shows a great picture of how our society has changed globally, in both a pro and con perspective. The book was also not too opinionated which was amazing, so you could fully grasp the information without feeling like it was being thrown at you. It sometimes goes a bit too far on making ideological claims, but the writing holds you firmly in place as a reader and compels you to keep reading. I still think the author could have summarized some of the chapters, but I also appreciate the effort and wonderful writing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Pete Davis makes the argument that purposeful commitment can be more powerful - and is more needed - in our age of restlessness and indecision. We are stuck in (as Pete labels it) Infinite Browsing Mode. Always keeping our options open, in case the better choice is just around the corner. Jumping from novelty to novelty without finding depth. Davis put forwards a counterculture of committers, stories of "Long Haul Heroes". Who commit themselves to particular places, professions and causes in a show of true dedication and expertise.

This book is full of perfectly worded one-liners that make you stop, put the book down and really consider what Davis is saying. Full of anecdotal truths, persuasive language, and a passionate, empathetic tone, you can tell that Davis is practicing what he preaches and he truly believes that the world could be better by encouraging his readers to do the same. All he is asking us to do is to commit to something... To a place, a relationship, or a cause. A small shortfall of the book is its length. Inching close to 500 pages, I felt - at times - the book was repeating its arguments and could have benefitted from a more instructional conclusion. But all-in-all, a wonderful, relatable and fascinating read.

I recommend to any readers with an interest in self-help novels, social psychology or those interested in culture, especially current culture of the digital age.

Dedicated, by Pete Davis

Pete Davis has put his finger on the pulse of those under 40 years of age and found the vast majority split between the excitement of what he has labeled “Infinite Browsing,” or the “Culture of Open Options” and the “Counterculture of Commitment.” Davis covers all of this and more in his first book, “Dedicated: The Case for Commitment In An Age Of Infinite Browsing,” which hits shelves on May 4.

Davis writes that his book “is about the tension between these two cultures.” He likens the open options to a hallway with rooms. A young person can bounce to one or more rooms, i.e., experience new jobs, new relationships, new cities, or commit to stay in one “room” or live in the hallway. Davis writes that some of his peers “don’t commit to a career path because we’re worried that we will be stuck doing something that doesn’t quite fit our true self. Others of us are forced from job to job by a precarious economy. For many of us, it’s a little bit of both.”

Is this a new syndrome or has Davis locked onto an age-old problem that the young have struggled with in the last one hundred years?

Post-World War 1, a generation of survivors of that war took to speakeasies and sexual affairs with a mania born out of disgust. They tired of the commitments older generations had imposed on them, which led to a slaughter of vast numbers of young men on the battlefields of Europe. Joined by young women who had nursed the bloody soldiers or who had lost husbands, boyfriends and siblings, these “Bright Young Things” revelled in the illusion that they need not choose one of the many choices in front of them.

The ‘60s also spawned a generation of free-thinking individuals who got stuck on the old existential problem, “Why am I here?” Just as today, there was massive upheaval as the young protested the war in Vietnam. While that was mostly successful, the fight against racism, bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia still had decades to go before there were major societal changes, and we are still fighting for many of those changes today.

So, has Davis simply redressed an age-old problem in 21st Century clothing? No, I think he has used his brilliant laser focus to effectuate a change in his generation that no one else is championing, and which prior generations of young men and women grew old without understanding how they left the excitement of change behind.

He has done this by framing the Counterculture of Commitment not as a giving in to the monotony of adult life, like the protagonist in Herman Wouk’s “Marjorie Morningstar,” or the giving in to untethered philosophy of the beat generation, or the rejection of everything by the hippies.

Instead, Davis extolls the “Long Haul Heroism” of individuals who have spent decades creating and building the institutions that nurture and create stability in society, and he uses the “little city” of Falls Church, Virginia as the canvas for his discussion.

Addressing the low attention spans and “low commitment spans” of his generation, Davis writes “when you look at what we have real affection for — whom we admire, what we respect, and what we remember — it’s rarely the institutions and people who come from the Culture of Open Options. It’s the master committers we love.” As Davis introduces us to these master committers, we see that he also is penning a love letter to his hometown, Falls Church. He writes:

“I also grew up in a town — Falls Church, Virginia — that had a strong identity. It had a small school system and a rich civic life, especially for children: Boy and Girl Scouts, Operation EarthWatch, youth soccer and Little League every Saturday morning, the Falls Church News-Press at everyone’s door every Thursday, the fall festival in October, the Memorial Day parade in May. Behind every beloved institution in town was a dedicated person. Howard Herman helmed the weekly farmers’ market. Nikki and Ed Henderson were in charge of the annual blues festival. Nick Benton kept the News-Press running. Barb Cram kept the local art shows going. Sue John kept the preschool open. Tom Prewitt coached the youth basketball teams.”

Every one of the named master committers built or rebuilt their passion from scratch. For example, Benton drove into Falls Church one day in 1991 and said, “this town needs a newspaper,” and day after day for 30 years, he has produced that newspaper every week. Nikki and Ed Henderson moved back to Falls Church in 1994, from studying in Africa, and because of them Falls Church has the wonderful Tinner Hill’s Blues Festival.

Davis uses an analogy from Pete Seeger about a seesaw to explain the long-haul dedication required to build something and to effectuate changes.

“One side is planted firmly on the ground, weighed down by boulders. The side in the air has an empty basket atop it. A small group of people patiently work to fill the basket with sand, one teaspoon at a time. The crowd watching scoffs, because nothing is changing. But one day, the whole seesaw is going to flip — not little by little, but all at once. People will ask, “How did it happen so suddenly?” The answer, of course, is all those teaspoons over the years.”

Davis writes that he wrote his book to inspire others of his generation to become committers, committed to entering into “faithful relationships” with “particular causes and crafts, places and communities, professions and people.” He writes:

“If you care about advancing the continuing liberation struggles that will give people even more options and free people from even more involuntary commitments, then you need to care about commitment, too. We are only as free as we are today because committed citizens, patriots, builders, stewards, artisans, and companions got us here. And every struggle for justice that remains today will only be advanced if enough dedicated people step up again.”

Pete Davis has written an insightful book that also is an important book that, hopefully, will inspire, not just his generation, but all generations to dig deep and make the kind of commitments that will spark both creativity and stability.

https://www.fcnp.com/2021/05/03/f-c-native-publishes-his-1st-book-on-the-importance-of-commitment/

(In return for an honest review, I was provided an advance review copy by the publisher through NetGalley.)

Eye-opening and to the point. This book emphasizes some of the concerns, insecurities and struggles that we face in this day and age of technology and immediacy of wanting things to "happen". I did like the conversational manner that the author wrote out the scenarios and explanations. It is obvious that the tips and tricks that are offered have been based in research. There are lots of quotations and theories that are mentioned by scientists, philosophers etc that the author uses to drive his points. I felt that it was a little repetitive at times and that it could potentially be cut down in length. Overall, it was a good read on self-awareness and self-care tips of how we can learn to recognize our shortcomings and improve our lives.

There could not be a more perfect time for this book. In a society that lives in the fast paced, want more, don't commit may are drowning.
This book views the other side of the coin as well as the self gratification that come with committing.
I found it easy to read and encouraging. I great read handing the reader the steps for a better, more rewarding life.
Highly recommend this one.

Blatantly Hypocritical, Yet Strong Discussion Regardless. Davis repeatedly claims that he is not “selling a particular religion, creed, or cause”… and yet the very subtitle of the book is “The *CASE* for Commitment…” (emphasis mine). Though to be fair, the examples Davis cites tend to be individual trees, while making the case that they are representative of the forest they are in. Davis, in this text, isn’t selling a tree – he is trying to sell the forest. Yet he *is* trying to sell a *particular* forest – the forest of long standing and wide reaching oaks, rather than the taller, shallower, and less connected pines. Still, the case he makes (and I’m forgiving the lack of bibliography, for the moment, as this was an ARC – though I *do* expect an extensive one to be provided in the published edition), is at minimum worthy of consideration and discussion. Yes, the language choices are a bit leftist at times, and yes, there are a few holes in the logic and reasonings, but overall, the case made is an interesting contrast to the currently dominant thinking, and this is why I’m willing to overlook the lack of bibliography in this ARC and rate the book at 4, rather than 3, stars. In the end, an interesting take on things that perhaps goes a bit *too* far at times, but is a refreshing change of pace at others. Recommended.

I truly enjoyed this book. It touched on so many points that are relevant to our time. The book touches on our culture, always thinking there is something better on the other side, and how we have too many options. I feel like the book showed a great picture of how society has changed, in both a pro and con perspective. The book was also not too opinionated which was amazing, so you could fully grasp the information without feeling like it was being thrown at you. I am giving it 4 stars because by the end of the book I found it to get repetitive and almost wish he condensed the last few chapters.