Rating: 
Summary: A new pair of lenses with which to see the world...
Review: As Walker Percy said in his essay "Loss of Creature," sometimes we need to take off the set of lenses through which we see the world and put on a new pair. Quinn's Ishmael helps you do just that.I was assigned to read this book for my Environmental Science class, and it turned out to be a godsend. Quinn's work is a tour de force of not a new way of thinking, but a way of thinking we have all but forgot. In order to save the world, we have but to realize our captivity, realize the bars around a cell of our own making, and make a step forward to change for the better. I can think of no other work better suited to engendering this mind change than Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. I heartily recommend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many people don't read this book with a critical mind
Review: This book has a lot of ideas that sound great, but in the harsh ligh of critical thinking don't really pan out. While reading the book, I kept thinking "yes, but..." and
"didn't you think about...". It's too easy to say things like
"treat the earth well", or "treat your fellow man well" - but how
in the world could you get from our current society to the one
you'd have if you followed the strictures in the book. Ok, maybe
this book just meant to be thought provoking, but it would have
been so much more interesting if actually tried to provide some
ideas how to achive the goals it set forth - even if it didn't
even pretend they were serious, they'd be more thought provoking
than this book actually is. Witness all the dazed cows hypnotized
by this book's chant of "harmony".
Rating: 
Summary: describes a problem, but never attempts to solve it
Review: the ape idea wasn't too thrilling. quinn could have at least made the ape not omniscient. for this, quinn tries to convince the reader to listen to the ape and change your beliefs. i thought the whole book was a sermon. the dialogue was horrendous. one couldn't understand whether it was the omniscient ape or the man talking. first everything the man answers is wrong. then all of a sudden he too becomes omniscient and is answering all the questions perfectly. quinn has innovative thoughts, but his evidence and support are dwindling. he continues to go off on tangents. by the end of the novel, i was thinking i'm gonna go watch "the planet of the apes." if you really want to help the environment like quinn says, take a class on waste management or pollution control.
Rating:
Summary: Truly the formula for saving the world
Review: There is so much to say about this book. First, I would like to mention that I do not lightheartedly rate the book 5 stars. This rating is after a great deal of thought and contemplation about the book. A bit about the background of this book: this book is actually an entry into a contest hosted by Ted Turner. I personally know one other person who entered the contest, but obviously did not win. The contest: write a book that explains how to save the world. I believe Daniel Quinn can save our world. Did you know our world needed to be saved? This book is so real, so true, so hard-hitting, that you will never, ever, ever....., ever............, EVER think of the world the same way again. I guarantee you - you will feel like you know a secret that nobody else does. You will wonder how farmers and agriculturalists can be so brutal. You will have a wonderous epiphany as to what is "wrong" with the world, what has been so terribly wrong for the last 10,000 years. This book does not discredit any religion, nor does it particularly preach any religious beliefs. However, there are some irresistable passages give us a highly possible explanation for the origin of some religious concepts. It even addresses creationism (neither affirming nor denying it) with a format I have never seen or thought possible. Did you know hunter-gatherers had a lifestyle so luxurious, that they spent about 3 hours each day working (compare this to the average American workday of 8 hours.) And not only were they well fed, but they even had the rest of the day to fulfill their daily whims and interests? You will read this book, because if you do not, you will never, ever know the secret to saving the world. This book can do it. If you only have 5 minutes a day to spend reading, you should read this book. You'll finish it in no time at all (it is a relatively slim volume). And, finally, if you can tell someone about this book, and reccommend it to them, and make sure they read it, and this process continues for a few years... Believe me, the world will be saved.
Rating:
Summary: A New Perspective
Review: This is the only book that I can say truly changed the way that I look at the world around me. Not only does Quinn express his beliefs, but he supports them with evidence and integrates them into modern religions and lifestyles.
Rating:
Summary: pro or anti- Ayn Rand?
Review: If your read Ayn Rand's the Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged, you have to wonder if Daniel Quinn read a lot of her books because the them of his book appears to be exactly the opposite philosophy of Ayn Rand, except progress is present in a primitive ape. Daniel Quinn may have an agenda for all to debate.
Rating: 
Summary: Enemies of Life
Review: Whatever technical faults or literary shortcomings the book might have, its value lies in its perspective. It is an anthroplogical perspective that exposes the mythological foundations of all cultures--mythological in the sense that the information people have about themselves (their origins, purpose, and destiny) is accepted uncritically. Our culture is no exception; it, too, is mythological to the core. Before we even know to ask, we have the answers. We learn them from mom and dad, Sunday School, kindergarten, t.v., books, movies, etc....The meaning of the world, our place in it, and human destiny are questions that do not occur to us because they've already been answered. This perspective allows us to see that the basic assumptions we operate with are not natural endowments or inherent structures of the human mind; they are creations of it. How we make a living in this world is merely an enactment of certain ideas, a product of our culture. It is not the natural course of things that we live this way (which would be a sneaky way of blaming God for the mess we're making). We can't change our nature (whatever that may be) but we can change our culture. So what is this book? It is a critique of culture that examines the assumptions that have reconciled us with the consequences of counter-selective behavior (i.e. totalitarian agriculture) and have made us the enemies of life.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is the best book I ever read. It has given me a entirely new perspective on everything.
Rating:
Summary: A life changing experience.
Review: First, let me start by saying I am not a strong reader. I am not a quick reader, and I don't read for pleasure. That being said, I read this book cover to cover based upon a friends recommendation. I must say, that it was a life altering experience. Without giving as much away as some of the other reviewers, I will say that there is so much in this book that everybody in the world should know. If we haven't figured it our for ourselves, then we should be taught it. I wish someone had forced me to read this book in high school. It is just that important. Will this book, or the many people who have read it be the only source for savior for the world??? Probably not. But we will certainly help. Two final comments. 1st - this book is in narrative form (ex: Jim said this. Joe said this) - which bothers some people, but I got used to it. Second - everyone says this is either a love it or hate it book, but I have yet to meet ANYBODY that hates it. 5 Stars is not enough.
Rating:
Summary: Life after Ishmael...
Review: This has been one of the most important and enlightening books I have ever read - it touched so many issues that I had thought about, but hadn't been able to articulate. If you've ever wondered, even for a moment, what our place is in the universe, you must read this book!
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