Rating: 
Summary: A Literary Acid Trip
Review: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (which may be the best title of all time) is a bizarre and insightful journey into ... well, psychology, motorcycle maintenance, and pretty much everything in between. This unique book is impossible to classify. Its long-winded tangents into Zen philosophy range from inane navel contemplation to mystical mountaintop profundity.The book begins with a first-person narrative of an unnamed man taking a motorcycle trip from Minnesota to the Northwest with his young son, Chris, and another married couple. The author's description of biking absolutely nails its allure, frustrations, and rewards. His book is required reading for all serious bikers (those who can read, that is). As the journey progresses, the narrator expounds upon the art of motorcycle maintenance and why some shy away from it, dividing riders into two groups: romantic and classic thinkers. Then he spends 100 pages splitting the romantic/classic atom. Surprisingly, the result is not some pot-smoker's rambling, but a sophisticated and well-informed essay on the human condition. The book continues with alternating passages of narrator lucidity--as he describes their mundane travels through America's backwaters--and more deep dives into topics most of us have never invested two seconds pondering: the definition of technology, quality, duality, and Aristotelian reasoning. But Pirsig slowly introduces a third component to the story: a shadowy character named Phaedrus. A mystery develops for the reader. Is Phaedrus a real person? Or a figment of the narrator's imagination? His alter ego? Is the deep-thinking narrator schizophrenic? Or descending into madness? Zen and the Art is at times maddening with its hour-long dissections of trivial matters, but will also have you seeing many things in a whole new light. Apparently, almost nothing in life is as it seems. In the end, it's a "quality" book (you'll have to read the book to understand this). I might have enjoyed it more as a younger, more idealistic person, but it's well worth the time investment at any age. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.
Rating: 
Summary: QUALITY
Review: Robert Pirsig searched for the eye of God and he found it.
Anyone can achieve this as long as you do it for real. You
cannot buy enlightenment. You cannot find it in a school book
or with a high-lighter pen. Some people want everything
handed to them and these people will always miss it. If you
have ever lost anyone in your life, this book is an important
read.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost has something to say...
Review: I read this years ago when I was in college, and spent a good amount of effort with a highlighter, rereading and cross-referencing, trying to figure out the Big Message that this book kept threatening to deliver. Well, there isn't one. It's (useless nonsense) philosophy as fiction, and not much satisfying on either count. If you want a measure of enlightenment from motorcycle maintenance, buy a motorcycle that doesn't run and fix it up like new.
Rating: 
Summary: An epic meditation of mostly hippie gibberish
Review: In the preface of the edition of This Side of Paradise that I recently read, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was listed as a similarly great work. I had never heard of ZATAOMM but enjoyed This Side of Paradise, so I decided to pick up the book. The only link between the two books is that both are appealing to people who are examining why they are experiencing what Pirsig calls "lateral drifts" in their lives. ZATAOMM seems to be geared towards hippies wishing to reintegrate in society and life and retain their ideals. The hippie generation was before mine, so the love is limited. Pirsig's desire in this book is to reconfigure the link between esthetics and science in the modern world through a heart-on-his-sleeve personal account. "Zen" is esthetics and "motorcycle maintenance" is science. This book is also intended to spur readers into looking at everday phenomena in a creative new way. The ultimate outcome would be a continuity of meaning in one's life. My main griefs with the book are that it is rambling and unfocused. The direction of many chapters tends to be as meandering as the routes the author takes between cities on the motorcycle trip. Also, the philosophical and religious topics that are frequently mentioned will not be grasped by the reader who has not had prior exposure and will be unprovocative to the reader who has a decent grasp. I really didn't get anything out of this book other than some great anecdotes and one liners. In one of those anecdotes, for instance, Pirsig says that the failure of the hippie movement is rooted in degeneracy. This book's Phaedrus is no Phaedo. The author, however, is an in- tune guy who is, I'm sure, an interesting and original fellow.
Rating:
Summary: You get what you expect to get
Review: ZTAMM was assigned for a graduate level health class because the psychology prof had fallen under its spell in 1974. That was my first exposure to its apparent paradox. Now I am in my turn assigning the book to my classes in diversity. The description of Pirsig's descent into mental illness is what I want my class to get from it. So few people are able to describe how the mentally ill may view the world that the few descriptions that exist offer a valuable tool to those of us who work with mentally ill on a daily basis. As R.D. Laing pointed out, to understand the "journey" a person takes into mental illness is not to become lost in their construction of reality but to develop a greater empathy for them and their families. . A reading partner may help because discussion definitely promotes understanding. Philosophy, English literature instruction, Zen, technology, motorcycle nuts and bolts, father-son relationship--read the book for whatever you can get from it--do not write ZTAMM off as not worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: This Cycle Sputters
Review: This book was nothing but trouble for me, and perhaps it was because I hadn't expected it to be such a heavy work of philosophy. There are moments when the book is more of a narrative, but by and large, it's a philosophy book in the guise of fiction. It's much higher quality than something like The Celestine Prophecy, but not exactly unlike it in the way it wants you to see the world in a different way. I got 2/3 through it and that's all. Most people who read this book seem to love it, so my reaction seems to be atypical. But hey, a reaction is a reaction. - SJW
Rating:
Summary: Why is this book important?
Review: Seeing from the sheer amount of reviews on amazon for this book, I don't know if there is much point in me adding my review to this. But still I would like to say a few things about this book. It is quite simply the best book I have ever read. I should clarify that it is the best book in my opinion, since it was exactly what I needed, when I came across it. It changed my life and gave me new insight and direction in life. It taught me that life isn't all fruitless and futile! All the intellectual pursuits and studies I have done after reading this book have been in some way part of this one. It simply connected everything. It has been the most important book in my life. A note about the sequel, LILA. Do read it. It is a must read after reading this book. Although, poorly written, LILA is a much clearer and down-to-earth philosphy compared to ZMM. It can be better applied to the world, as we know it. ZMM on the other hand gives the reader a complete perspective on things, which is of course of a higher "value".
Rating:
Summary: Think and think again
Review: ZATAOMM is a philosophical train of thought to question the meaning behind the meaning. 'Quality' is the term that Robert Pirsig uses to explain the unexplainable. If the previous sentence sounds too philosophical then skip this book. 'Zen and the Art' is a brilliant explanation not only about the source of happiness, but also about the source of the thought where happiness was formed. It gives me encouragement to realise that sitting in a classroom with teachers whose purpose is to indoctrinate not to teach and learn together may not be the ideal growth experience.
I completed my reading of the book last night and many of the ideas, morals and guidance are yet to sink in. ZATAOMM is a classic and beautiful narration for the philosophically minded.
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking and well constructed novel
Review: A modern masterpiece! Far too many novels these days get away with appearing "deep" by importing some cheap dime-store ponderings (I won't name any names). But this book is different. It is different because it is genuinely "deep". The issues brought up are both sound and interesting. Moreover, the ideas Pirsig toys with are carefully put together. Nowhere in this book is he sloppy or thoughtless. He is in full control of his writing throughout the entire journey. I recommend that you read this book thoughtfully. Otherwise, you are bound to miss the layered allegories and metaphors that Pirsig works so well within. And, if you have the time, I recommend pulling out the old college textbooks and rereading Plato's' "Phaedrus" and then, if you still have the time, Plato's "Meno". Understanding these venerable text will give you great insight into what Pirsig is doing with the shape of the story. If you miss this, you miss the beauty of this modern masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking and well constructed novel
Review: A modern masterpiece! Far too many novels these days get away with appearing "deep" by importing dime-store ponderings. But this book is different. It is different because it is genuinely "deep". The issues brought up are both sound and interesting. Moreover, the ideas Pirsig toys with are carefully put together. Nowhere in this book is he sloppy or thoughtless. He is in full control of his writing throughout the entire journey. I recommend that you read this book thoughtfully. Otherwise you are apt to miss the layered allegories and metaphors that Pirsig works so well within. And if you have the time I recommend pulling out the old college textbooks and rereading Plato's' "Phaedrus" and then, if you still have the time, Plato's "Meno". Understanding these venerable text will give you great insight into what Pirsig is doing with the shape of the story. If you miss this, you miss the beauty of this modern masterpiece.
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