Rating: 
Summary: Preachy children's book.
Review: This is a simple story. So simple in fact that you wonder why the writer got paid for it. A seagull gets banished for flying wrong and then dies. But he comes back from the dead because freedom is the way to be, so he preaches the Buddhist-Christian gospel with the smug certainty of a kindegarten teacher. I admit that I did love this story once. It was kinda deep. Or at least my friends told me that it was deep. The problem is that it's not deep at all. It's trite and self-satisfied. It's one of those books that you love as a child but then you realize how condescending you got after you read it. Then you think about it years later after having learned more and you think back about how dumb you were to have been impressed. I give it an extra star because it is good to read once. I would have even given it three stars if it didn't have all the publicity and the hype and fanboys surrounding it. If you are expecting an amazing life changing book and you get a slim story instead it's bound to take down the ultimate joy of the whole endeavor. If I was expecting a nice little story, I would have enjoyed the final product better. One more word - I know that the pictures have been in from the original, but they are grainy blurry things that look like the author took a polaroid to a beach one day. The fact that the photographer gets credit hints that he actually is getting paid for them. Can't someone release an anniversary edition with better pictures?
Rating: 
Summary: The greatest book of all time....
Review: Jonathan is a seagull... and I am human... and yet he reminds me of myself because he had a very strong will to pursue the things he believes in, no matter what others think of it. That is my prevalent feeling the moment I first finished reading it 8 years ago when I wa still in High-School... Today, I am already a professional, and after eight years I decided to read this book again... and it had a more profound impact in me than in the first time I read it. From then on, I've read that book almost 300 times! Everytime I'm blue or lonely, i just pick up that book and read it. It's just wonderfull! There are statements there that you construct as inspiring words for thought, such as "heaven is not a place, and it is not a time, for heaven is being perfect" or "We choose our path in life through what we learn. Learn nothing, and the proceeding days of your lives will be the same as this one, with all the same difficulties and obstacles to overcome." I recommend this book for you to read... whether you are young or old, male ofr female, happy with life or angry at it, committed or uncomitted... This is the greatest book I've ever read, and I am honest enought to say that. I really cannot fully describe what i feel for this book, and all i can say is that you better read this to immerse yourself in this extraordinary story of a gull who seeks for higher purposes in life... and made others believe in him... Jonathan's race had began 30 years ago... and until now, it is still on the grow... Buy this book... for your own good... and you'll never regret buying one.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring and Beautiful.
Review: There are two aspects of this book that prove most crucial in establishing its beauty and charm. First, it manages to be truely universal. Unlike so many inspirational works, the situation in which Johnathan finds himself could easily become a metaphor for anything worth the aspirations of an individual. Second, it manages to be a reat story. This makes it an easy and enjoyable read, rather than just a series of appeals to perseverance. This keeps the book from becomming preachy or condescending, which is so often the problem with works of this type. Also, the nature of Bach's message is stresses not only the rewards of perseverance, but also the difficulties that are inherent in it, which is important in fulling exploring the intricacies of his point. On top of all of this, Bach has a special gift for prose and storytelling that allows the reader to forget that he/she is reading a work of fiction and instead believe that this seagull really does exist, thus making his plight all the more enlightening. For teachers seeking to motivate students, coaches trying to motivate athletes, or parents trying to motivate children, this is a perfect place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Great Inspiration
Review: This is a wonderful book. It gives different meanings to different people depending on thier maturity levels. This book speaks about the determination to innovate through learning, practicing to become perfect with deep inner philosophy about approach to life. I read this book when I was little depressed and it gave me a message to stand up, think upside down and perform. I could come out of depression by doing what I believed to be correct. I read this book again when I am confident and very sure about what am I doing and it gave me a meaning, dare Innovate dont just follow the set pattern. This book is really inspirational for anybody. Just reach out and read and read it all your life. The best part of this book is its simplicity of presentation.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: A nice pick-me-up, but not as fun to read as "Illusions." Though it is short, it slows a little toward the middle, and not as distinguishable from other books of a similar theme. Worth looking at, but for inspirational reading by Bach, I'd go for "Illusions."
Rating:
Summary: -
Review: A hearty and inspirational book. This strikes me as one of those books that parents should read to their children, like The Little Prince.
Rating:
Summary: Limitless and Timeless
Review: My dad read the story to me when I was just a little boy. I read it every now and again as an adult, and will read it to my children and grandchildren when they come. It is a wonderful heartwarming story, that will not take more than a couple hours of your time. If you have never read it, you must do so, then pass it on to a friend. It is a beautiful picture of life, and what you can accomplish when you dream.
Rating:
Summary: Seeking Perfection
Review: This slender classic about a seagull who stretches the limits of Flight reads as fresh and emotionally exhilarating as when it first appeared. Disdaining the mundane existence of most gulls--who follow the garbage trails of men--Jonathan dreams of rising above such a demeaning lifestyle, on both aerodynamic and spiritual planes. He boldly pushes his body to perform increasingly difficult stunts, to achieve undreamed of aerial precision and velocity. Until he is callously ostracized for his achievements. We admire Jonathan's quest for excellence, his willingness to sacrifice everything in his noble pursuit of raising seagfull consciousness. To FLY for the sheer joy of it, to grow in wisdom, to chafe at any limitation of the spirit, to experience the ultimate in seagullness--to meet and perhaps briefly be one with the Great Gull. Beneath the surface of this seemingly simple tale of a gull, who literally rises above his own kind, lie themes clearly reflecting the 60's: civil disobedience for a worthy cause, social ostracism, the personal dignity of the sentient individual, refusal to accept the standard restrictions of life as imposed by Society. Bach presents philosophical gymnastics worthy of a seagull's Shangri-La; he includes Christian overtones and ideas of global spirituality as well. JLS proves a teacher of teachers both in Flight and Compasion, but could he really be the only son of the Great Gull? (The movie with Neil Diamond's moving score is a multi-dimensional treat, but read the book first.) Timeless enchantment!
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars is a hard limit to put on a limitless story!
Review: This book is possibly my all-time favorite. It combines two subjects which I absolutely love! Seagulls and the search for enlightenment. I recommend this book to anyone who can read, and to those who don't posess that gift, I recommend either buying the Tapes, or getting somebody else to read it to you. I am planning on purchasing a large number of these books as gifts for both friends and strangers as soon as I get some extra cash. Read it! If you don't quite understand its meaning, put it away for a while, then read it again. May we all become enlightened like Jonathon Livingston Seagull.
Rating:
Summary: Believe... and anything is possible.
Review: If there is anything that this book teaches, it is that we have the ability to change reality with the power of our own thoughts. This is one of those books that no matter how many times I read it, will never fail to amaze me. It's the kind of book that leaves you speechless, unable to do anything but think, and wonder. Presented in the form of a charming parable about a seagull's education in flight, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is about far more than the life of one seagull. It is about each and every one of us, struggling to find the answers, to reach something higher that we are not even yet aware of. We are all a little bit like Jonathan, and when we read Bach's story, we realize that we all have the same power inside. That we can do anything, be anything that we want, if only we can believe in ourselves. Bach's message is a powerful and timeless one that stretches across all barriers to reveal the simple truth that we all, at one time or another in our lives, knew: the most powerful force that exists is that of belief, especially in ourselves. I can't tell you exactly why you need to read this book. It's not about something as simple as plot or writing style. There is a rare magic in the words that cannot be conveyed by any other means than the experience of reading the book. All I can say is that once you read this book, you will understand.
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