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Summary: A special comprehend-it-all-in-one-theory style book
Review: This is one of those books of the same genre as Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance".In other words, it is one of those books which tries to convince the reader of an essentially brand new vision (metaphysics?) of the world. Its not really sufficient to say just that and nothing else, of course. While Pirsig's work is much more general and philosophical in character, Quinn's gives the reader more concrete material
to consider. With Quinn, we have specific information about the historical devlopment of mankind and its ways of governing itself and creating civilizations. Quinn's book deserves to be ranked among thought provoking favorites like Pirsig's...
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Summary: "Will there be hope for man?"
Review: Deep in thought but thin on plot, Daniel Quinn's award-winning novel is actually a series of telepathic, Socratic dialogues between an enlightened gorilla (Ishmael) and a less evolved human (the narrator), a student who has "an earnest desire to save the world" (p. 4). Over the course of several days (and 263 pages), Ishmael takes his student on an educational journey that encourages him to rethink man's relationship with the Earth. Ishmael teaches us "to discern the voice of Mother Culture humming in the background, telling her story over and over again" (p. 37), murmuring in our ears, "there's nothing to think about, nothing to worry about, just listen to my voice and go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep" (p. 53). There are two ways of living, Ishmael observes, taking and leaving. Whereas "Takers" (our culture) believe the world belongs to man, "Leavers" (hunter-gatherers) believe that man belongs to the world (p. 240). Since 8000 B.C., he tells us, the Taker story line (derived from the Bible) has regarded "the world as a sort of human life-support system, as a machine designed to produce and sustain human life" (p. 59). This way of life "makes people stupid and destructive and greedy and shortsighted" (p. 83), and leads to greed, cruelty, mental illness, crime and drug addiction (p. 147). In other words, the Taker mentality has brought civilization to the point of collapse in just five hundred generations (p. 119). The 3,000,000-year-old story line of the Leavers is: "Take what you need, and leave the rest alone" (p. 127). Ishmael reminds us, "the world was not made for any one species" (p. 145). After living harmlessly on the planet for over three million years, the Leavers have become the "endangered species most critical to the world--not because they're humans but because they alone can show the destroyers of the world that there is no one right way to live" (p. 248). If we want to save Mother Earth, ISHMAEL teaches us that we must first liberate ourselves from Mother Culture, possibly alienating ourselves from our friends, family and associates in the process (p. 37). And then we must change the way we live our lives. G. Merritt
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Summary: Worth Reading
Review: Initially I liked the book's dialogue style. But after a while it becomes a drag. I feel the author could have continued the style for probably the first 50 pages, and then could just have stated all he wanted to say as an essay in another 10 pages. But then again, an essay style may not have the reach that this book's style has. The author has a very good point about how human beings have taken over the world as if its their own and are just gobbling it up. I also like his notion of culture being the enactment of a story. I do not claim that humans are the goal of evolution or that the world was created for them. But I dont agree with the laws that the author states as being valid for all species. I can think of several things that are different about us. For instance, no other animals cook food or fight with weapons that are not part of their body. I am quite irritated with the author's view, or rather the book's view that all taker cultures are enacting the Adam and Eve story in some form. I am an Indian and I am not aware of any story, anywhere similar to it. This means that our mythology has nothing as well known as the Adam and Eve story. Hence the author's ingenuous insights into the story - and this constitute about a quarter of the book- fail to resonate with me. Having said all that, the book is interesting and has definitely left an impression on me.
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Summary: The Height of Stupidity...
Review: I read this book as part of an introductory undergraduate course in cultural anthropology. I'd not heard of it at the time, and the professor seemed quite excited about our reading it. I respected his opinions and began the book with an open mind. However, what I found myself reading was really, really bad. Now, I'm no genius by any standard (except for chimps), but *I* could have come up with a better format for the presentation of this information, if you want to call it that. The underlying ideas found in this book are interesting for sure, though more mature and developed versions of similar ideas can be found in
the work of other, better authors. As far as the writing is concerned, it's certainly nothing special. I don't understand why so much praise was heaped upon this book. I think as far as spiritually-minded books are concerned this one is the literary equivalent of "Con Air." It's stupid, cliched, has nothing original to say at all (the whole Genesis allegory is pretty well-known now), and above all, is so implausible as to be idiotic. If you're looking for truly challenging ideas, writing or plotlines, please look elsewhere. I'd rather read the children's classic "But I'm Not Sleepy," than ever look at this drivel again. Ugh... Having said all that, Quinn's pilfered ideas are not without merit and it might be healthy to mull them over a teensy bit.
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Summary: Ishmael: A Critical Analysis of Civilization
Review: It is a general rule that any particular culture can only be understood by someone outside of it - a neutral observer, unaffected by prejudice or indoctrination. This is the reasoning behind Quinn's choice of a gorilla named Ishmael as the main character of this novel, who conducts a series of dialogues analyzing the whole of civilization itself. But what is the civilization that Quinn looks at? Instead of muttering about monumental building and written language, Quinn treats civilization in a method that is becoming increasingly popular: as the result of a critical mass of humanity that makes possible rapid advances in knowledge and science. For this to be possible, intensive agriculture must be used to raise the population density to such a point that civilization occurs. So Quinn uses a gorilla as an outsider looking in and perceiving the reality of civilization - of cultures using intensive agriculture to dominate the world. His conclusions are for the most part negative: he concludes that civilization is not sustainable in the long term (that is, over millions of years). The observations used to come to this conclusion are relatively well-known; that civilization is the greatest disaster to befall earth in the past 65 million years. In terms of pollution, deforestation, extinction, and overall negative impact to the web of life itself, humanity is supreme among all the species. What Quinn does not share with the others who know these facts is a belief that civilization will overcome any difficulties it encounters. Civilization, to Quinn, is the problem, not the solution. _Ishmael_ is the presentation of these ideas in a Socratic method from a gorilla to a man "with an earnest desire to save the world." There isn't really any plot to this book, nor does Quinn intend there to be. The disappearance of Ishmael at the end of book is the only story-like element in _Ishmael_, and it is really an attempt by Quinn to set the reader free - to encourage him/her to think about civilization for himself rather than be told about it by a telepathic gorilla. I've always had the feeling that this should be considered nonfiction, rather than a story. The problem presented by _Ishmael_ is simple: civilization is the problem. The solution is both simple and complex: in order to preserve a human niche in the ecosystem, we must go beyond civilization. Working to figure out just what this means is one of the great joys of reading _Ishmael_, whether or not you agree with Quinn's assessment of the situation. _Ishmael_ is a book that will make you look around and think, and perhaps reach some conclusions that you may find surprising. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Ishmael
Review: When I began reading this book I thought it would be interesting, as it had been highly reccommended to me. But I was in for a big surprise. This book has possibly changed my life - or at least opened my eyes. As soon as I picked it up I just couldnt stop reading. I started one evening and halfway through a lecture at university the next day I was finished. That was this morning. Since then I havent been able to stop thinking about the messages it conveys about society and mankind and thier place in the world. Written extremely cogently... Tomorrow I'm going to the library to look for more of David Quinn's books!
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Summary: Ishmael
Review: Ishmael is an amazing book that will change the way you look at the world. It lays out the groundwork for saving the world in a couple hours. What more could you ask for?
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Summary: Wanted, one hundred emailers!
Review: Critics, commentators, writers [and theologians?] assert that fiction reflects life. If so, you will look long and hard to find a grander image of life than Daniel Quinn offers in Ishmael. He isn't interested in building synthetic characters or weaving intricate plots. He has a message to convey to every human on this planet. If fiction reaches more people than plain instructive writing, then that's the path he's chosen. And he's chosen well, providing a vivid scenario of human thinking on how we view life. How we view life depends on our role - Ishmael divides humanity into two populations, the Leavers and the Takers. Would you answer the newspaper advert seeking a pupil who desires to save the world? Note the singular - not "pupils" or students." Just one. Are you the one? As you read this stunning fantasy it's impossible not to place yourself in the teller's mind as he confronts a massive lowland gorilla. Ishmael is the teacher seeking a student because he has a question: "With man gone, will there be hope for the gorilla?" Keep this question in mind. As you follow Ishmael's "course" you will gain fresh insight into what he considers the fundamental question: "how did things come to be this way?" Ishmael is no pedantic scholar or medieval disputant. He coaxes, teases, almost seduces response, but your answers must be carefully thought through before offering them. He's asking that you search the roots of your own cultural heritage to form your reply. Before long the perceptive reader will pause before simply accepting the author's responses. Quinn's aim, after all, is elicit reaction from you - his fictional "student" is only a mechanism to that end. In his dialogue with his pupil [you!], Ishmael repeats the question of "how things came to be this way." As you ponder his question, think about the figures dominating our heritage. Ishmael names Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and others as "Prophets" - the key figures in Taker history. What have they taught us about the world we inhabit? Who are the Leavers' prophets and what are their teachings? Ishmael's response will surprise many. Quinn's building dialogue throughout this book is skillfully presented. His innovative style is straightforward, unpretentious and nearly flawless. It would be easy to criticise his prose as "too simple," but the urgency of his message and the novel form of its presentation is purposely designed to attract the widest possible audience. The story may not be complex or convoluted, but Quinn has given us a gem. Remember, diamonds are composed of but one element - anything added is impurity. Ishmael's "course" pre-requisite is "an earnest desire to save the world." No-one can question the enormity of that task, least of all Ishmael himself. He doesn't expect an environmental messiah to answer the question of whether there's "hope for the gorilla"? There's a need for more "pupils" to answer that question. So if your local newspaper doesn't have an advert stating "Teacher seeks pupil," please inquire at the email address listed at the top of this review. The first one hundred responses will be answered.
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Summary: Review of Ishmael
Review: Ishmael was a new, interesting, yet somewhat uneventful book that I recently read. It is about a man who seeks a tutor, and then finds one in a talking ape named Ishmael. While this all may seem juvenile, the man actually has thought-provoking discussions with the ape about how man has doomed himself by creating agriculture and civilization. The point Ishmael is trying to make is that man needs to go back to his hunter gatherer ways to save humanity and the rest of the world... I thought Quinn's book was interesting, but don't let the book get to your head.
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Summary: An insult to intelligence!
Review: This book is not all bad. There are brief passages that are even remotely original. However, the majority of this novel is uncomfortably shallow and lacking any real Truth or Beauty. And contrary to some other reviews, I never felt challenged by Quinn to reexamine my thoughts or actions. For something better, try Tom Robbins, Wim Coleman, Mark Leyner, or Derrick Jensen (listed with first being best). DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK until you have read a passage from it or at least skimmed the first few dialogue shifts. And remember, no matter how eloquent somebody may sound -- this all really just comes down to personal opinion.
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