Rating: 
Summary: Less than stellar
Review: This was by no means a bad book. The fact that it's short hardly means anything--Jonathan Livingston Seagull isn't much longer. The fact that it is on the surface a very simple story doesn't mean it's unimportant. After all, Illusions is, on the surface, equally simple. However, this is also not a very good book. It is dissapointing to me not just because I have loved Bach's books until now, but more because the idea, the story, had the potential to be VERY good. Once I was 10 pages into it, I expected great things the same way I found great things when Bach touched on a similar idea in One (when Richard and Leslie meet Tink and the others at the idea factory). When the book ended, I felt like the story was just in the beginning stages, and that was dissapointing. Bach's books have never been based on action, from my perspective. Rather, the great parts have been driven by the ideas that inspire the action that is there. Unfortunately, it seems as though he tries to do the opposite here and when he ran out of action, the book ended. Those who have read the book are justifiably saddened to have missed the rest of the story. That said, there was an excellent line in the book, one that was almost an aside, but one that I think every Bach fan can relate to and knows is the true theme of his stories (if there is in fact just one). Bach says he has long ago decided there is no such thing as "just my imagination." He understands that imagination is a wonderful tool for solving problems and discovering truth. He also understands (or so I believe) that imagination is a difficult thing to describe to someone else. I can't tell you the number of times I've been unable to explain to someone what I've thought about when my mind has been drifting, even though I know it's terribly important. If this book is truly a failure, it is not a failure of Bach's imagination, nor, I think, his intent. I simply believe that in this instance, for whatever reason, his skill at describing his imagination was not up to the task.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as everybody thinks
Review: Well, I ordered this book before I read all the reviews here, and I kicked myself after reading them. Not because of the book, but because I had just written a letter to Richard, not knowing of the divorce, and hinted at questions I'm sure he won't want to answer. The book isn't nearly as bad as some people here led me to believe. It is a short story, and should have been presented as a short story, but I wasn't left hanging, as some people were. I think it stands ok as it is. Maybe my perceptions were lowered enough by some of the scathing reviews, that it was easy to find it better than some people thought. It seems to me that it's too easy for some people to point fingers and shout, "Rip Off", with no attempt at understanding or empathy. Might it have occurred to them that maybe there's a reason this book is the way it is? That's certainly true of all his other books. I tried Richard's website too late; it had been shut down, so I missed what might have been said there. After doing some online research, it seems painfully obvious to me that, whatever the circumstances of the divorce, it must have been pretty rough; it seems evident that both Richard and Leslie agreed to keep the details personal, even to the exclusion of any mention of Leslie, or "Bridge Across Forever", in a recent interview for AOPAPilot. It seems plausible to me that he was driven back into seclusion by harsh criticism, just as he dismissed himself from the "Illusions" forum on CompuServe many years ago. Indeed, even in one past interview online, Leslie's face was obviously removed from a group photo. It's easy to imagine that a stipulation of the divorce is that it not be publicized. Of course, that's disconcerting to all of us that have been allowed to share in so many personal details of Richard's life in the past. But you know what? This his HIS LIFE, people; ease up. We're not entitled to anything; we should consider ourselves lucky he's still writing at all. People forget that Richard often said that he hates the act of writing, that he has to be driven to it by ideas that demand to be exposed. They also forget what a private person he can be, and how awkward it is for him at times, to have millions of people know all the personal details he shares, to the point where they feel that they have some kind of right to criticize him, or tell him what they think he should do, or what he should have done. So, "Out of My Mind" is short; so it disappointed some people who were expecting another "One" or "Running from Safety" or "Illusions". I prefer to think it was what Richard intended it to be, and maybe we should try to figure that out. Isn't that what books are for?
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as everybody thinks
Review: Well, I ordered this book before I read all the reviews here, and I kicked myself after reading them. Not because of the book, but because I had just written a letter to Richard, not knowing of the divorce, and hinted at questions I'm sure he won't want to answer. The book isn't nearly as bad as some people here led me to believe. It is a short story, and should have been presented as a short story, but I wasn't left hanging, as some people were. I think it stands ok as it is. Maybe my perceptions were lowered enough by some of the scathing reviews, that it was easy to find it better than some people thought. It seems to me that it's too easy for some people to point fingers and shout, "Rip Off", with no attempt at understanding or empathy. Might it have occurred to them that maybe there's a reason this book is the way it is? That's certainly true of all his other books. I tried Richard's website too late; it had been shut down, so I missed what might have been said there. After doing some online research, it seems painfully obvious to me that, whatever the circumstances of the divorce, it must have been pretty rough; it seems evident that both Richard and Leslie agreed to keep the details personal, even to the exclusion of any mention of Leslie, or "Bridge Across Forever", in a recent interview for AOPAPilot. It seems plausible to me that he was driven back into seclusion by harsh criticism, just as he dismissed himself from the "Illusions" forum on CompuServe many years ago. Indeed, even in one past interview online, Leslie's face was obviously removed from a group photo. It's easy to imagine that a stipulation of the divorce is that it not be publicized. Of course, that's disconcerting to all of us that have been allowed to share in so many personal details of Richard's life in the past. But you know what? This his HIS LIFE, people; ease up. We're not entitled to anything; we should consider ourselves lucky he's still writing at all. People forget that Richard often said that he hates the act of writing, that he has to be driven to it by ideas that demand to be exposed. They also forget what a private person he can be, and how awkward it is for him at times, to have millions of people know all the personal details he shares, to the point where they feel that they have some kind of right to criticize him, or tell him what they think he should do, or what he should have done. So, "Out of My Mind" is short; so it disappointed some people who were expecting another "One" or "Running from Safety" or "Illusions". I prefer to think it was what Richard intended it to be, and maybe we should try to figure that out. Isn't that what books are for?
Rating: 
Summary: Richard Bach has finally learned to fly
Review: who do you think the door latch and the oil cap represent??? after all the boos and hisses, i had to give 5 stars to what is by far Richard Bachs greatest work... Bach sold us his Soulmate wings and we flew with them, but like carus, who came crashing down when he flew too close to the Sun, Bach realized having a Soulmate is like having a Cellmate--you don't have a choice--you're stuck with that person!!! No annullment, no divorce, because you are *soulmates* forced by *destiny* to be together come hell or highwater! Bach learned the hard way, not having a choice about who you "choose" for a soulmate is a recipe for disaster. The last line of the book is redeeming, (hence the 5 stars) he writes, "I am glad I have a choice".
Rating:
Summary: Hey people, we are reviewing a book not a divorce case!
Review: Yes,Yes we are all upset that Richard Bach divorced Leslie (me too!)...but this is about books not somebodies personal life. As Richard Bach books go, this is one of my favorites (I have read every word he has published). Like Illusions and JLS this book is short and to the point, and like those two previous books it also conveys a truth about life that only Richard Bach can express in such a marvelous way. I am an aircraft designer for Boeing an I too have on some very few occasions been to Saunders-Vixen. The place does exist, and when that little immage of the design you are struggling with finally floats in space in front of your eyes, you can not immagine the joy you receive from knowing that there is an idea factory out there in space-time that sends these beautiful designs to you. Yes, the book is short, it has a lot of blank pages ( I suggest you communicate with Saunders-Vixen and draw your designs on them!) and it tells the truth like Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions. If You want to read the best Richard Bach books, read the short ones! JLS,Illusions and OUT OF MY MIND! Have Fun! Lorenz eber@wa.freei.net
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