Rating: 
Summary: Really a 2.5 star rating...
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with othersSYNOPSIS: This is an allegory of a seagull who rises above the rest of the flock because he has figured out there is more to life than just staying alive. MY FEEDBACK: The writing is nice and simple and to the point. The allegory is easy to see the lesson the author is trying to convey.
But shortly into it, the story takes a turn for the mystic. We suddenly are transported to ideas that are straight out of a New Age brochure. The way I read it...was that he author was saying that all the laws of the universe only matter if you let your mind be hindered by them because we are spiritual beings who don't have to be contained by our bodies but can reach levels of greater consciousness. The New Age thing isn't for me, though some people will embrace it. I'm going back and re-reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho which is a better balance of thoughts & ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: Good 'flying' lesson
Review: I was first recommended this book a few years ago, and I admit it did not sound very stimulating to me when I read the first paragraphs. Reading more than 100 pages about birds was not the book that I wanted to read at that moment.
But a few weeks ago my friend mentioned it and I thought it was time to start reading it and see what was all about.
I have to admit that it was a great experience and the moment I started to read I simply could not put the book aside. I felt great when I finished it and it made me think that life can also be nice and full of optimistic things. 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' is one of them. This is a very nice fable about life, ambition and pushing one's own limits. The more you read it, the more you start asking questions about yourself and your life. Jonathan Livingston is a seagull that chooses a different path than the rest of the birds in his flock. He spends his days looking for perfection - he prefers to learn to fly rather than eat, unlike the other birds. He is single-minded focus on and flying is not the way to make him popular with other birds. Such an attitude made Jonathan an outcast, rejected by his community and he finds himself alone but doesn't want to give up his dreams and ideas. I think the one big thing this story teaches us is that we should all admit our limitations, but the secret consists in trying to get over them, to challenge ourselves and evolve. Only great challenges will make us reach "heaven", which is just a matter of being perfect. If there is no challenge, then there are no failures and we cannot evolve. Only excellence,
intelligence, and skill can set free a spirit that is looking
for important challenges in life. Richard Bach, who is an accomplished pilot and who has written a great deal about flight, uses the theme of flying in this book as a way of making us think. We have to think of ourselves as creatures of total freedom, free from all rulesin our minds, the place where actually everything happens. We can fly at the speed of our minds, not limited by anything . I think the book is also a story about modern society, where people who are different, the ones who want to make a change, are seen as crazy and are often rejected by the society that tends to be more and more ordinary, with limited views, and no dreams or desires. It is a good story from which we can learn a lot of things: never be afraid of reaching perfection, never stop dreaming. It is a short and very easy to read story, written in a very nice language, full of deep meanings. I think it should guide us all in life. I recommend this book to all of you who want to be different and "fly high". You will love it!
Rating:
Summary: A deep and enjoyable allegory
Review: I've read many reviews on this book. I'm not satisfied with most. Most both negative and positive have poor reasons. Most negatives I read just don't like mindless hippy-ness and empty new age philosophy (neither do I); they think the book propagates these things so they condemn it. It only propagates mindlessness if you are short-sited enough to assume that is its message. Don't be. Most positives I read just demonstrate the mindlessness that the negatives dislike. There is more to get out of this book than the "feel-good" aspect. To those who think the subject matter is thoughtless: look deeper. This is a much more accurate view of heaven than what most people have discerned from the Bible. If you want evidence of this, read Mark 12:34 in context. Heaven is not a place. It also indicates some of Bach's suspicions about the true nature of messiahs (Muhammad, Buddah, Jesus) that the world upholds and a possiblity of their true nature. It is clear that Bach meant flying for seagulls to represent learning for humans. I am in agreement with him that this is what we do best and what life is about: learning, growing. In fact this is (ironically) the same viewpoint that the negative spotlight reviewer, dbsholes, seems to have (go read new books; don't become stagnant). I like that the highest rung on Bach's "learning ladder" seemed to be love. This parallels biblical teaching (1 Jn 4:16; 1 Co 13). The most important idea (in my opinion) that the book hints at is the possiblity that God is not a being, but a mind of which we are a part. If this sounds like foolishness, read the first chapter of Swarm Intelligence (SI) by James Kennedy and Russel C. Eberhart, a graduate level discussion of minds (with a focus on artificial intelligence). The first chapter of SI is a discourse on the nature of minds (and how much of a misunderstanding most people have about what they really are). I wouldn't immediately buy it unless you are a Computer Science graduate focusing on AI or a Psychology major, but it is definately worth a check-out from the library, although I doubt a non-collegiate library would have it.
Rating:
Summary: Jonathan the Great Gull
Review: I can remember, before I read this book about 5 years ago, growing up always seeing this book lying around my house. Of course at the time I never inquired as to what it was, I just saw it all the time. I always associated it with some Christian book of inspiration that my father was reading, which is why I never bothered to look at it. After reading this, however, I was truly amazed with the story. I knew I knew it. I mean, the story was entirely familar. Like most people growing up in a Christian household they are likely to hear the story of Jesus. Either from their parents, church or wherever. This book surprised me with the parallel to Jesus' own life. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who knew he something better to do than just eat. So he flew higher and higher and came down faster and faster. He was learning. He was experiencing. Soon, after being kicked out of his own lang and meeting some very wise Gulls. They taught him perfect speed. It was some time before I understood what this meant. But I found out one day at an Ani DiFranco concert (learning is everywhere around you). Someone said that she was the fastest female metal guitarist, or something or other. It dawned on me then what perfect speed was. Its not the speed, its not the height, but the quality. In a word: now. At any rate, this book was one of the books that really inspired me, for many things outside of it just being a Jesus parallel. It inspired me to know that we all have more to do with our time than to work to make money to eat (ad infinitum). One of the great books of its day. Highly reccomended for those who love good stories. (Oh, by the way - if you loved this story and thought you might want to see the movie. Dont! You will be utterly bored, especially by Neil Diamonds droning terrible songs in which a short book is made into a 2 hour live rendition. A complete let down, not to mention a waste of a film).
Rating:
Summary: A n absorbing story of courage and inspiration
Review: This timeless classic was created in a time gone by and yet it's spirit captivates readers of today as easily as it did when first published. A credit to Richard Bach's insight, this simple and absorbing story is an any age read. I first read this book 16 years ago. I have read it as a bed time story to youngsters, and like John Bertrand, in "Born to win" the story of the 1983 America's Cup campaign (Forward by Richard Bach) have worked with Jonathan as an inspirational model for team building and one-on-one coaching. Courage and persistance in the pursuit of personal excellence are tenants of this tale which is underpinned by values which support the personal development of individuals and of society. Our hero is a seagull, with an unlikley scenario in which to provide the reader with a prescription for personal insight and growth. This books descriptive prose allows the reader to be alongside Jonathan as his adventure unfolds ("he eased out of the dive and shot over the waves, a grey cannonball under the moon."). The book also contains a myriad of photographic illustrations, further entrancing the reader throughout this epic journey. This book should be in every bookcase. Thank you Richard Bach, for bringing characters such as Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Fletcher Gull from your imagination to ours, for providing an opportunity to bring the magic of imagination to useful personal creation and individual reality.
Rating: 
Summary: A gem Pick
Review: A Gem Pick in my collection, this book is a prized treasure. Growing up Gracefully is the theme of the Book with very good illustrated pic of Sea Gulls on the cover page. Captivating attention with this classic read, Richard Bach's fable Seagull named Jonathan Livingstone is an example that teaches about 'Flight' and capture the moments of love and kindness. Jonathan had a deep desire to soar high in the skies and hardly cared for eating like other seagulls. The message was to aim higher for a purpose in life even if its against the wishes of own people. Jonathan is courageous and in pursuit of excelling, he almost has to leave his flock and experience learning with wise seagull who taught him perfect speed. It's the art of perfection one develops keeping the spirits alive as one rise up aiming higher in life. A good read and great message for taking Flights to achievement. Must Read!
Rating:
Summary: Own it!! Very simple yet very engaging!
Review: The conclusion is that we should pursue what we love to do. There will be push back, condemnation, ridicule, but don't let that stop you. The question is "Am I really pursuing what I am passionate about or am I lost in the day-to-day routine?" The author beautifully uses a seagull metaphor and is apt for a professional. The quest, the passion, the intensity, the realization of one particular seagull (Jonathan) is the centerpeice. The book has many pictures of a lone seagull flying and makes you think about yourself...
Rating:
Summary: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Review: Book Review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
I loved the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It is a great book that reflects upon the ability of an individual to perfect themselves: "Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn't have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there" (p 65). In this book a seagull named Jonathan Livingston spends his existence perfecting his flight he especially works on achieving high speeds. I believe this book is well written and very uplifting.
Rating: 
Summary: After you learn to do a miracle, its not a miracle anymore
Review: John lovingston Seagull is a wonderfull book, in which i enjoyed thourghly. The first time i read this book it opened my mind to a whole new way of thinking and understading, so i moved on towards Richards next book, Illusions. After reading Illusions i found that "seagull" was just a small doorway into this new world of philosiphy. just like in illusions , "once you've learned how to do a miracle, its not really a miracle anymore". As for me, once i read "seagull" and "illusions" i reread seagull and found it to be less than what i originally thought. Every book i read opens my mind. I am currently reading the one, which so far is just as good as the others. I would recommend this great book to everyone and every age. Especially to those seeking more than what the standards of society set for us to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind Numbing
Review: In the miasma that was the 70's lies this book, an embarassing reminder of the culture of self-actualization that permeated that era. Deep messages? Please. What is so annoying about "Seagull" is the blatant anti-intellectualism of it; the pseudo-profoundity; the feeble fable. After being asked to write a paper on the meaning of the "Stairway to Heaven" lyric(!), having to read this book was the last straw for our 11th grade Language Arts class. We feared "Linda Goodman's Sun Signs" was next. Read it if you must. As a snapshot of mid-70's popular culture, it fits somewhere between pet rocks and Space Food Sticks.
| 
