Rating: 
Summary: Quinn's best
Review: This book is easily Daniel Quinn's best. Whereas Ishmael was full of interesting ideas but very badly written (the plot consisted of a clunky dialogue between a guy and a gorilla) as a story, this book is full of interesting ideas and has an okay story--a plot in which a lot of interesting things happen (though the dialogue still needs work). A priest tracks a speaker across Europe and is drawn in by his novel theories (Quinn's theories) about civilization, development, culture, and so on. The speeches which are collected at the back of the book are very useful to have all together. Which some of Quinn's ideas (for example his Malthusian "food supply increase equals population increase" idea) are weak and poorly defended (he defends this claim by asserting that his theory can't be disproved by looking comparatively at the U.S. and developing countries . . . but logically it can be), overall, many of them are fascinating, profound, and compelling. A great place to start for the newcomer.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: The Story of B was as earth-shattering as Ishmael, except without the pleasantry of a gorilla teacher to make it esoteric. Basically, this is a book that takes everything about the world and turns it upside down. There is no escaping the revelation that comes with each turn of the page. At the end of the work, you will be forever changed for the better... and because of this, so will others. Without a doubt, Ishmael and the Story of B are must-reads. You have to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book...
Review: This book is an excellent "sequel" to Ishamel. I like how it split up the story from the lectures, which makes the book very useful as a reference. The ideas contained within this book are profound and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested.
Rating:
Summary: Buy It, Steal It, and Pass it on - An Instant Classic
Review: This book is a literary bomb. Read it and be flipped inside out. Masterful, artistic, sweeping in scope, gripping. You cannot go wrong with this book. Pick up a copy today and be a different person tomorrow. Now, onto the more rigorous arts of reviewing.... After reading criticisms of this book, I felt that I had to write an apologetic review, for Quinn's view is not only historically and anthropologically accurate (so far as history and science now claim to know), but - irregardless of petty academic quibbling - Quinn's vision is essential for the future of this planet, and all its abounding and beautiful life. Number one. People have said that The Story of B is a novel without references, and so it therefore lacks academic standing. True, it is a novel, and there are no references. However, if you one has any understanding of the many academic disciplines Quinn draws from, references are not a problem. For example, Quinn states that human population is a function of food supply, and that curbing policies like education and contraceptives matter little. The real solution to our booming population, with its booming consumption, and booming environmental impacts, is to stop increasing food supply every year. Need a scientific paper to validate this? Check out "Human Population Numbers as a Function of Food Supply" (March, 2001) by Russell Hopfenber and David Pimentel, two leading agricultural and population scientists. Other facts about native cultures or the history of Western Civilization can easily be retrieved any modern encyclopedia. (By the way, Quinn used to make a living writing such encyclopedias.) Other people have said that Quinn's treatment of religion is one-sided and flat wrong. It should be noted here that Quinn was raised in a religious environment, and that he even entered monastic life for a spell. True, the book does level criticisms against any faith that seeks redemption of self at the expense of planet and community; any faith that seeks to deny that the universe is beautiful, mystical, and richly complex. However, for those not adverse to thinking about the meaning of their faith and perhaps revising their faith in light of different views and facts, this book is no antichrist. I personally found the religious critique secondary to its deeper message, which, when accepted, applies to anyone of any faith. Lastly, for those of you who have not already been initiated into Quinn's writing, don't be afraid to start with The Story of B. Although the second part of a trilogy that begins with Ishmael and ends with My Ishmael, The Story of B works well as a standalone. For more info on Quinn and his project, check out his website, the Ishmael Community at Ishmael dot com. The New Tribal Adventures group is great fun, too. You cannot go wrong with this author. A must read. Get up on it, and write the glObe with your thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Stunning -- Again
Review: I read Quinn's Ishmael a few days ago and just finished The Story of B. My review of Ishmael was a 5 star "Absolutely Stunning" and The Story of B is no less. In both Ishmael and B, the question has been raised repeatedly "Why isn't this being taught in schools?" This question will haunt you after The Story of B. It will uncover simple truths of the universe that we never considered covered. For those who were in awe of Ishmael and were curious how religious types would interpret Ishmael's message, then B will take you for an enjoyable ride!
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment of the mind and spirit
Review: Quinn's attempt to set his ideas against those of the established church are really pretty lame. Even a beginning theologian could argue better than the character Quinn uses as a disillusioned but "competent" priest. Although the soaring nature of B's "world views" were solid, Quinn's use of the church's reaction against that world view, to establish the ideals of B as against natural law, were extremely weak. I suspect that someone without some religious training might buy into the argument that all religion responds to new ideas the way that Quinn depicts. But I thought his arguments very weak and shallow. Too bad, too, because "B's" world views need to be heard, even in the religious community.
Rating:
Summary: Are you wondering "what's gone wrong here?"
Review: This text explains in common, everyday language some of the problems that are found in our culture. However, it differs from other texts and media in that "The Story of B" identifies these everyday problems as SYSTEMIC in nature--in other words, originating from a known cause. This is like the difference between looking at a physical ailment as THE problem and looking at a physical ailment as a SYMPTOM of some disease. This book will change the way you think.
Rating:
Summary: It will blow your mind
Review: The style of writting is clearly unorthodox but very effective with a tone of sermon(or anti-sermon). Daniel Quinn is against civilzation as we know it? You bet he is and he has good reason. When you finish reading this book you'll want more because it will open your eyes to obvious truth that has been hidden from us by our own stupidity. I hope it generates action afterwards our blindfold has been taken away.
Rating:
Summary: The Sky really IS falling.
Review: A profound examination of the current state of the planet, how we got here today, and what, unfortunately, seems to be the future... Thought provoking, disturbing, galvanizing, irrefutable.
Rating: 
Summary: Quinn's B+ "Story."
Review: Thin on plot but deep in thought, Quinn's 325-page notebook diary follows its narrator, Father Jared Osborne, on "one of the strangest quests of modern times" (p. 3). Osborne, a Roman Catholic priest of the Laurentian order, is sent to Germany to investigate a 40-year-old itinerant preacher, Charles Atterley (also known as "B"), who is encouraging his followers to ask dangerous questions. Because of his message, the Church is concerned that Atterley is not only a Blasphemer, but perhaps even the Beast and the Antichrist. "This is the word of B," Atterley preaches, "if the world is saved, it will not be saved by people with the old vision and the new programs. If the world is saved, it will be saved by people with a new vision and no programs" (pp. 48; 155). Because "B" encourages his followers to save the world rather than saving their souls, he is considered a threat not only to the Church, but also to our "Taker" culture that has brought us to the verge of cultural collapse, "the collapse of everything we know and understand, the collapse of the structure on which everything has been built from the beginning of our culture until now" (pp. 274-5). Since 8000 B.C., "Takers" have replaced order and purpose in our lives with chaos and bewilderment, and people have lost their will to live, and become listless, violent, suicidal, and have become addicted to "drink, drugs, and crime" (p. 277). B's message runs contrary to the Bible, which tells us, "You must not love the world or the things of the world, for those who love the world are strangers to the love of the Father." The Bible not only warns us against those who love the world, but also "that the final hour is at hand! You've heard that the Antichrist is coming. He's not one but many, and when the many of him are among us, you'll know the final hour has come" (p. 325). Perhaps better suited to nonfiction than novels, Quinn's ideas are provocative and revolutionary. Through his characters, however, he encourages to see our relationship to the earth differently, and without concern for saving our souls through organized religion. "All paths lie together like a web endlessly woven, and yours and mine are no greater or less than the beetle's or the mouse's," B tells us. "We make our journey in the company of others. The deer, the rabbit, the bison and the quail walk before us, and the lion, the eagle, the wolf, the vulture and the hyena walk behind us. All our paths lie together in the hand of god and none is wider than any other or favored above any other" (p. 186). G. Merritt
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