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Summary: One of the best books I've read (and reread!)
Review: I first read Ishmael in 1992. I had been working for a couple years to establish the Green Party and was very concerned about the environment. Ishmael helped me connect the dots to the source of our problems. This is one of the most important books you can read. I highly recommend the book.
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Summary: Whooo!
Review: This book is essential to the human race. It presents ideas that have been staring people in the face, but that we just havent picked up on. There is a warning in the beginning of the book that pretty much says once you read past a certain point, then there is no going back. That is true beyond imagination. After reading the book, I have looked at the world in a different way, and feel compelled to take action. Please, please, please take the time to read this book.
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Summary: Don't read reviews, read the book
Review: This is the kind of book that is best taken in without any preconceptions of what you will take away from it. Because of this, I don't believe in reading the reviews at all, but apparently you do, because you're here, so I might as well explain myself. Ishmael may not be a literary feat in terms of vocabulary or style, but I dare say this is a positive rather than a negative trait. It is written to dazzle us with ideas, not with words. Even the ideas that dazzle us may not feel so dazzling, especially not when we first take them in because the logic seems so sound, so natural, the dazzling part comes when we realize WE'RE NOT LIVING THIS WAY. If you continue reading reviews you will find many negative ones. They will probably subscribe to one or both of two possible categories of grief, the claims of whom can easily (and should be) dispelled:1) "It's not a novel. It's not written as a novel. It's stupid to use a telepathic gorilla because gorilla's aren't telepathic. He could have summed up his whole idea in one sentence. A total waste of my time."
---No, it's not a novel in the sense of having the entire point being the development of plot and characters. It has both of those things,(which is why it is perhaps more appropriate to classify it as a novel than as anything else) but they take second place to letting the reader identify himself as the student slowly coming to understand his teacher's point of view. Perhaps he could have summed his whole idea in one sentence (and probably does somewhere in the book) but it would have been way too big to swallow--you have to understand and accept (to some degree) a different point of view before you can discard the one you've somewhat unconsciously held on to throughout your life. Believe it or not, that takes some time. And if you can't spare just a couple of hours to listen to and seriously consider a new and important view on life and let your mind be opened, even just a little, then you have your priorities way out of whack. 2) "It's impossible for us to do what he says. He wants us to get back to nature, go hug a tree, throw all our technology out the window and proclaim it evil, somehow reverse time and go back to living in caves. We can't do that! It would be terrible, and uncomfortable. And besides, "tribal living" wasn't as great as he seems to think it is or people would still be doing it."
---Maybe if he were telling you to throw all technology and modern comforts out the window, no questions asked it would be impossible. But Daniel Quinn is saying NO SUCH THING. He's not saying technology is evil, it is a good thing that we can increase the quality of life. What should be done away with is having things for the sake of having them and relying on a system where a few people have all these conveniences and others are literally starving to death because they cannot get access to the resources we have stashed away. He's not asking us to reverse time, but to reverse our path for the future. Neither does he portray tribal living as any sort of utopia. Bad things still happen, people are not perfect, but they are as good as they need to be. They deal with people expecting them to be only as good as they already are. It may appear to be a "harder" life to those of us who live comfortably in this society who can't imagine giving up our excesses, but imagine how much better it would be for those individuals who are struggling at the very bottom. That's not to say that the rich would have to sacrifice for the benefit of the poor, because the entire world would benefit in ways hard to even imagine possible. People are still living tribally, everywhere that it is still possible. Unfortunately, we have made it impossible for people to live as they want to by dominating vital resources and forcing them to live like we do. Still other people will say that what Daniel Quinn says is nothing new. This I cannot argue with, until they say that this is somehow a bad thing. It's not meant to be new. He says many times that these are thoughts or ideas he expects many people to have had at least in passing. What Daniel Quinn accomplishes that few, if any others have, is showing us WHY WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ACCEPT THEM BEFORE. I will end my rampage here, saying only that I think this book holds something special for everybody that approaches it with an open mind. To avoid it because of somebody else's fearful dismissal of it would truly be tragic.
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Summary: What Ishmael will and will not do.
Review: Ishmael will not tell you how to live your life.
Ishmael will not give you a magic solution to "protect the environment".
Ishmael will not tell you how to "fix" the governments of the world. But if you feel that there is something wrong with how the people of this planet are living, then Ishmael will do the following:
1) Ishmael will tell you the story of your own Culture. You will get to learn your own mythos.
2) Ishmael will show you the results of that story and how that story is directly causing most of the "problems" we are trying to band-aid.
3) Ishmael will teach you the physical laws from which a sustainable human population must be built upon.
4) Ishmael will offer another story, one that we can choose to replace the current story with if we wish the human race to survive the next 200 years. If you are looking for a "quick fix" or a "new program" for saving the world, Ishmael doesn't do that.
If you are looking for understanding about this snowballing extinction and a way out of it for all life including humans, then Ishmael will help you understand the problem and cleanse your mind so you can work out the solution yourself. Ishmael will empower you with the ability to save the world. If you are ready for that, read it.
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Summary: Ever Felt Something Is Off? Here's Why!
Review: Throughout life, I have known many people who couldn't quite put a finger on why they felt disillusioned, depressed, why SOMETHING just felt off. Things just didn't feel right. I shared this feeling, and also the feeling of not understanding why. Was there something wrong with me? With them? I didn't know....that is until Ishmael came along. I cannot overestimate the way in which this book can change the entire way you see the world. I have recommended it to people who have gone on to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives based on this book. I have also recommended it to people who then forgot what they wanted to do with their lives. Either way, it is a profound book, and even more stunning as it is only really an introduction to Quinn thought. Between Ishmael, My Ishmael, Story of B, and Beyond Civilization, your mind will be opened to the hidden agenda behind so much of our culture, as well as ideas on solutions. Feel free to email me if you'd like to talk more about Quinn and his books.
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Summary: An Unforgettable Journey
Review: For those who have read 'Ishmael,' there need not be a review written here. For those who have not, I cannot recommend this book with enough enthusiasm. Do yourself an enormous service and read this novel. You will not be disappointed.
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Summary: 1st Civilization
Review: The first book I read by Quinn, and knew I wanted to read more. A good precursor to Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure.
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Summary: Life Changing Book!!!
Review: (...) this book has changed my view on everything. It made me want to change the world to how the book portrays it to be. It made me reevaluate everything being forced upon me by socitey, my parents, and my friends. I've been suggesting it to everyone. I garantee that if you read it, you may not like it, but it will open your mind to new views.
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Summary: The book that could save the world.
Review: Ishmael is an incrediable book. If everyone would read this book and followed it's ideals our world (the planet, the animals, and humans) would be safe. This book will change your perceptions about the world. Please read this book and share it with others.
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Summary: Caution! You may never view the world in the same way
Review: I must say that I have never felt the need to write a recommendation for any book. I now however am compelled, by an urgency I didn't know I had, to bring this book to the attention of anyone willing to challenge the foundation of their world paradigm. I had a graduate course in which we were given the first 5 chapters of Ishmael to read. On this basis and on reading the reviews of Quinn's work I promptly ordered Ishmael as well as the two other books in the "series" (The Story of B and My Ishmael). I tore through all three of these books in less than a week ignoring other "important" work. Quinn is an extraordinarily unique and provocitive writer. The ideas brought forth in these books will shake the foundations of everthing that you have assumed and been told about the world. I can guarantee you that even if you disagree with the ideas in these books you will never view the world in the same way. You will feel a need to discuss and debate these views with a inquisitiveness you haven't felt since childhood. This is evidenced by the website Quinn has setup where he continues to answer hundreds of questions from readers. Let me caution that this is not some new age self-help garbage and Quinn is no charlatan or guru. The information is laid out so the reader can come to their own conclusions. This is also not a book for those not willing to question their views, because this book will turn everything you think you know upside down and shake it. Its left to you to do with it as you will. The only thing that may not appeal to some readers is the discussional tone of the narrative. If you feel that this type of storyline is distracting then I would suggest Quinn's "The story of B". This has a deeper storyline and deals with many of the same topics but from a different viewpoint. I have been purposely vague in this review as to what Quinn's ideas are. I urge to take the challenge Quinn has thrown down and find out for yourself. I am now off to order everthing else Quinn has written!
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