The Story of B: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit

Rating:
Summary: Spare me!/Modified
Review: I am going to keep my previous review because some people commented on it, but a few months after I wrote it, I find I have thought more about the book. I stand by my annoyance with his writing style, but I can certainly see why people can look past the flaws because really, Quinn's ideas are, as I said below, very much worth considering--and as I have thought about the book several times since I read it and disliked it, there must be more to it than I originally noted.

I have raised my review from two stars to three.

-------- My original review follows-----------------

Ugh! Several of my thinking friends whom I respect wanted me to read Daniel Quinn. I started with _Ishmael_ and had to put it down halfway through because I could not STAND the way it was written... and NOT because, as one reviewer suggested of those who do not enjoy _Ishmael_, because I lack the ability and imagination to think for myself. Anyway, one of the friends who recommended Quinn suggested I try _The Story of B_... Daniel Quinn raises many provocative, intelligent points, but he is an absolutely horrible writer. Perhaps I am conflating Quinn with "B," but Quinn, through the character of B, comes across as incredibly condescending, not to mention ridiculous; B's attempts at humor at the end of the book (in his "teachings" section) are awkward and grating. Anyway, I gave the book two stars because it contains ideas worth considering, but I would have preferred reading a ten- or so-page essay on Quinn's ideas, and I would hope he would present himself not as omniscient...

Rating:
Summary: We are in earnest, and we will save the world!
Review: I've read each of Daniel Quinn's new tribal novels, being the Ishmael trilogy and Beyond Civilization, and though my life has been changed drastically by them (as have many), The Story of B had the greatest impact. I struggled all my life with organized religion, unable to find any reason to put any stock in religious dogma. When I read TSOB, I found in it a different religion, one that didn't require blind faith, one without obscure, nebulous dogma. Aside from steering me on a course toward saving the world (which is substantial in its own right), TSOB did something for me on a far more personal level: it gave me something to believe in, something that could give this destructive, consumptive life an iota of meaning. I'm a professing animist now, and proud to call myself the Antichrist. That's right. Don't let that scare you, though, it's not what you think. Read the book, taste the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Then you'll understand.

Rating:
Summary: Better than "Ishmael"? You bet!
Review: Thus far I have read three of Quinn's books - first "Ishmael," which I've read twice, then "My Ishmael," and now "The Story of B," which I can definitely say is my favorite of the three. However, I would advise anyone new to Quinn to start with "Ishmael," as it lays the foundation for his ideas. "The Story of B" takes the ideas from "Ishmael" further and looks at them in more depth. "My Ishmael," is one that you can either read or not. While it isn't a bad book, it's pretty much just a new way of packaging everything Quinn had already said in "Ishmael."

Those who are already familiar with Quinn will know that his basic message is that our culture (NOT to be confused with the entire human race) is slowly and blindly destroying itself. He describes our culture as a "monster that is literally devouring the world - and will end by devouring itself if it isn't stopped" (pg. 88). The story he uses to frame his arguments in this book is as follows: Father Jared Osborne is a Catholic priest sent to Europe by his superiors in order to investigate a man known to his followers as B. This mysterious B has been traveling throughout Germany, spreading ideas that have the Church concerned he may be the Antichrist. Osborne is instructed to break into B's group of followers and determine whether he is or isn't as dangerous as he seems.

I found it interesting that this book was written from the perspective of a Catholic priest, secure in his faith (initially, at least), whereas "Ishmael" was narrated by a disillusioned everyday citizen who already felt he had been "lied to" by "Mother Culture." This has the effect of presenting a direct challenge to doubting readers, whereas "Ishmael" more or less preaches to the choir (i.e. those who already suspect that something isn't quite right with the way we're living). While I'm afraid "The Story of B" may still, to some degree, preach to the choir, I do believe it is more powerful and convincing than "Ishmael" was (though I loved "Ishmael" as well).

"The Story of B" also takes great steps in making itself palatable to a broader audience. It combines "Ishmael"-style dialogue-learning with a series of lectures. These lectures are presented in a separate section at the end of the book, but should be read as the story progresses, whenever the reader is signalled to do so. The protagonist in "The Story of B" may also be more sympathetic for readers than the protagonist of "Ishmael." Osborne, unlike the narrator of "Ishmael," is clearly an educated and intellectual man. Many readers of "Ishmael" were turned off by the narrator's apparent dimness (though this was just a device Quinn used in his attempt to make his ideas more accessible). While Osborne still has his dim moments, "The Story of B" does put more responsiblity on the reader to analyze what they're reading and draw their own conclusions.

One thing I particularly like about Quinn's style of writing here is that he presents his ideas in "meal-sized" chunks. Each chapter is broken up into smaller sub-chapters, providing plenty of good stopping places if the reader needs time to sit back and absorb something they've just read. And even if you do read the whole thing in a few long sittings, the story is structured in such a way that you'll get the necessary "thinking breaks" anyway. Whenever Quinn thinks his readers need a break from the heavy idea-driven stuff, he gives the protagonist himself some time off in a more plot-driven series of events.

What really made "The Story of B" stand out for me, however, is that it calls the reader to action, whereas "Ishmael" merely got the reader thinking. This book starts off much as "Ishmael" did, with the protagonist simply taking in ideas and not generating many of his own, but halfway through it takes a drastic and somewhat shocking change of direction. I wasn't sure if I liked this at first, but as I read on it became very clear what Quinn was doing, and I think he's quite successful. Anyone who found themselves stimulated by the ideas in "Ishmael" will no doubt find even more material of interest in "The Story of B."