Rating: 
Summary: Where is the Quality ???
Review: I finished the entire book to know the complete nightmare that the author put his son through. I read it recently with a author's postscript. He is just a creep and kind of scary and his "philosophy" is completely illogical. I just about cried for his poor son.
Rating: 
Summary: Love/Hate
Review: I don't love or hate this book to the degree that most of these reviews seem to indicate.
My first and after twenty years continuing feeling about ZAMM is that Pirsig doesn't know where his strength lie.
That is to say he's a first rate storyteller! He should go with that and let the characters and the situations get across the message without the meatball philosophical diatribes.
I'm sure this has been said a zillion times but that's my two-cents worth.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad philosophy
Review: Contrary to popular belief, this book is not a good introduction to the history of philosophy. For that, read a book on the history of philosophy. Also, Pirsig's philosophy is full of holes. He says that what you should strive at in life is "Quality," and leaves that very ambigious. But surely if you achieve quality as Mozart, Nietsche, van Gogh, and many others have, it does not mean that your life will be a good or happy one, just that you produced work of high quality. He never connects this achievement of quality to anything showing that your life is better or more meaningful or happier because of it. I found his thoughts on the educational system as the most worth while.
Rating: 
Summary: guided meditation, cultural piece
Review: First of all, this book is amazing. I read it while at work (security job) in about 3 sittings of 4 hours a piece and I think that made a huge difference in the way I feel about the book. It is slow reading and some of the topics were difficult, but I am pretty well versed in psychology and philosophy and everything was explained so well that I feel like I came away with a great deal of new knowledge in both of those areas. If you want a summary of the books contents that has been given in the editorial review and the review just below mine. I have chosen to write about what the book meant to me. The thing about the book that amazed me so much is the way that it was able to take hold of my mind for hours at a time and lead me in diferent philosophical directions. It was like having a long philosophical discussion with myself and not even realizing it and it really reminded me of some guided meditations I've been on (only with a great deal more substance). To me, this book is required reading for anyone who considders themselves an intellectual or any lover of philosophy (especially metaphysics). It is a beautiful journey full of ups and downs and it really is one of the most important cultural pieces of the century. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. It is a long, difficult task, but well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: waste of time
Review: This book is obsessive, condescending claptrap, and a self-indulgent attempt to justify obsessive, condescending behavior.
Rating:
Summary: a truly Great Book
Review: You can read it as a novel, a cross-country journey a man takes with his adolescent son.You can read it as a handbook to good living, advice on how to take on an attitude that naturally leads one toward achieving great results with creativity and passion, bringing meaning to even life's most mundane tasks. And you can read it with its companion, "Lila", as arguably the greatest philosophical work of the 20th century, creating a whole new Metaphysics from scratch that fundamentally alters our view of reality. No matter how you read it, read it carefully (I've read it three times now and am just starting to really feel like I "get it"). Read it slowly. Savor it like a good meal. It is a work of tremendously high Quality.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a Great Book
Review: This book can be read as a novel about a cross-country journey a man takes with his son. And it can be read as a book about Zen, and Art, and Motorcycle Maintenance, and how, if you begin with the right mental approach, these three seemingly disparate things really aren't different at all. And it can be read as a guide to how to live your life better, giving meaning to otherwise mundane daily tasks. And, when combined with it's sequel, "Lila", it can be read as (arguably) the deepest and greatest philosophical work the 20th century produced, laying the groundwork for a whole new Metaphysics and fundamentally altering our view of reality. But no matter how the book is read, there's no denying that it is a work of astoundingly high Quality.
Rating:
Summary: Not Exactly a "Novel"
Review: And I shouldn't be complaining about something like that ... this guy had some good ideas and why shouldn't he publish them? So he did in the form of a psuedo-novel type book, where the scanty plot line depends on the philosophy and the philosophy depends on the plot line. Sometimes his ideas sound more like ramblings than a highly organized explanation of life. I wouldn't suggest taking on this book unless you plan on reading it in a very plain and quiet room where you can get a whole lot of concentration ... otherwise it is just plain impossible.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book - Must read
Review: This is one of those books where, after you are finished reading it: you are never the same. Its like pressing the "refresh" button for your mind. You feel so fresh after reading this book that words cannot express it.
This book is not about motorcycle maintenance though! It is about life in general, positive things about life, a bit of philosophy, and good narrative about Montana.
You have to be patient in reading this book. It is not for fast reading. Enjoy it slowly and steadily. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: The limits and capacity of reason
Review: It was an easy book to read, yet a difficult one to follow. The pace was slow and conversational but the issues were deep and meaningful - I was wondering if I was missing something. The author and his son take a motorcycle trip. All during the trip there are effectively two stories: the first one concerning the trip itself as the author attempts to connect with his son and the second the author (as Phaedrus) is conversing with us, the reader concerning all sort of philosophical considerations. When the author is on the Chautauqua mode, the author's alter ego Phaedrus is conversing with us concerning deep issues of existential significance. Coming back to the first issue, concerning the trip, the reader - at least this reader - felt like the narrator was talking to me. In this subtext concerning the son, the author reveals much of his past life with John, the author's wife, with the De Weeses and a host of other things. It seems, at times that the stories would intertwine - the reader is confused about whether it is Phaedrus or the narrator speaking and about what. The story of Phaedrus is a remarkable one. He muses over such topics the value of technology in society. This ex-computer manual turned motorcycle jockey/mechanic muses over such things a Quality and the various approaches to it. More subtext arises with Pirsig's thoughts on the practical use of the classical and romantic modes of thought, his understanding of metaphysics, and Greek philosophy. Needless to say the book is ambitious, which was perhaps the reason for his eventual breakdown and several shock treatments. It is clear that this will eventually crescendo into his eventual mental breakdown while at the same time coming together with him and his son. The realization and impotence regarding his son leaves me cold. His eventual admission seemed like an inevitability. It did take a long time to get there. I learned much about motorcycle maintenance but I thought it was a bit light on the Zen. Criticized for not really being a primer on Zen, I assume that his meditations are his connection to Zen. How does this book impact the question: Who are we? From a psychological perspective, it gives one the sense that there are no essential, we are re-inventing ourselves almost everyday. The fragility of our existence is, although lightly covered, is present in the book. Moreover, there is a sense that one needs to face his demons if one is to make peace with oneself. Within this framework, it seemed that the narrator needed to come to terms with Phaedrus in order to save his son. The book asks all sorts of questions about what frames our lives, the limits and capacity or our reason and the extent to which we need to allow our obsessions to get the better of us. Sometimes it does not pay to sweat the details while keeping the big picture in mind. Miguel Llora
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